Tarnished
by S. Vespertine
Summary: Revenge is a dish best served cold and Loki has gotten exceedingly good at it. He still has a score to settle with Iron Man for what happened in New York. The plan? To strike at Tony's heart - via Pepper Potts, of course. Revenge motivates like nothing else; and this tale is far from over.
1. Cannot Replace

**Author's Note: **_This is the updated version of chapter one. Look for CHAPTER TWO within the next TWO DAYS!_

(For those of you who have already read it, there isn't a huge difference, plot-wise in part one, just a few touch-ups here and there.)

**Full summary: ** _(Post-Avengers). When Loki returns to Midgard, he has not forgotten what happened the last time he was on Earth. He has a score to settle with Tony Stark's Iron Man. But going after Tony himself would be too easy, too predictable. And Loki is anything but predictable. He is the God of Mischief, after all - and a Frost Giant by birth, so serving cold revenge is in his nature. His plan? to make Tony Stark suffer for what he did. So Loki targets Pepper Potts - but not everything is as it seems. Pepper has no idea what's happening at first, and by the time she realizes something is wrong, she no longer knows if it's all a dream or the reality... So is Tony REALLY d- ...? Or is a darker game afoot?_

**Disclaimer: **IRON MAN, THE AVENGERS & Co. are all property of MARVEL and its affiliates. No copyright infringement intended.

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><p>.<p>

**TARNISHED**

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><strong>"_The tears come streaming down your face, _

_When you lose something you can't replace. _

_(Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, _

_And I will try to fix you._") - '_Fix You_', by Coldplay.

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**1. (Cannot) Replace**

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The small gathering of people they had invited over to their house on Christmas Day for lunch, was comfortably tucked away inside the large house with its stunning views of the ocean, their backs warmed by the cheerily roaring fire.

Though they were all familiarly jovial faces, the closest friends seemed to naturally divide their time amongst speaking to each other, and to blending in with the others.

The guests were happily plied with both excellent food and wine, and the very air inside the house was bright with merriment, and serene in its warmth.

Pepper smiled and as she listened to Bruce Banner's enthusiastic rendering of the time Tony took Steve under his wing to teach him about the wonders of technology.

It had all been a ruse to try to get him to admit that he was not great at everything, and was made even more amusing by the fact that Agent Coulson had somehow been roped in, along with Clint Barton.

Bruce assured her that when Clint told Steve to hit the send button, and Steve took this directive literally and hit the phone in his hand so hard it shattered, that Tony could not stop howling with laughter. Bruce had clearly appreciated it. Pepper shook her head wryly, smiling fondly at Tony's antics. Miss Ross then approached them, and the lambent quality on Bruce's gentle face was like beacons of happiness to Pepper, who murmured quietly that she had to go attend her other guests as she slipped away, a secret smile on her face as she left the two alone.

On the way to the kitchen she kept a watchful eye on the drinks and the food, wanting to make sure that neither was starting to dwindle, always the perfect hostess. The clock on the worktop next to the stove told her it was well after two pm. Its face seemed to be glaring its sharp truth, mocking her.

Tony was late.

A frown etched worry lines onto her face as she stepped closer to the large windows and looked out onto the chilly overcast afternoon. Her scrutiny scoured the horizon in search for that gleam of red and gold speeding its way superiorly across the skies. All she could see were hazy distant shapes in the grey light, and the ocean seemed to mirror perfectly the grey hue of the heavy clouds.

Rhodey came up to her in that moment, and laid his hand reassuringly on her arm.

"He'll be here soon, Pepper. Tony wouldn't miss his son's first Christmas for anything in the world."

Pepper turned around to look at him and smiled briefly. Her stomach jumped into somersaults, and she felt queasy. Somehow, though she knew this to be the absolute truth, the endless pit of worry inside her would never be quelled until she saw her husband return safely to his home.

"This Christmas Day Gathering was his idea, especially with regards to inviting some of the people over from S.H.I.E.L.D. like Bruce. He told me that it wouldn't take long and that he'd be back well before our guests would be too stuffed with food to stand. I can't imagine what is taking him so long!"

Rhodey too looked over at the horizon and sipped his drink. He too had wondered what could possibly be taking his friend so long. When he'd heard him on the phone a few hours before, Tony had told him that he was needed in New York for a brief spell. It appeared that the lunatic hacker who had been trying to get past the New York Stark Industries Offices' firewalls was about to be apprehended by Iron Man himself, and be handed over to the authorities.

Rhodey had asked him if he wanted War Machine to come along, but since this was pretty much a tiny fish that only needed one small hook, he stayed behind.

Someone called Pepper, who pasted a bright smile onto her face and she hurried away to the other side of the room. Rhodey wandered over to the buffet table and heaped some more food onto his plate. A close business associate of both Stark Industries' and the Air Force started chatting to him, and for the moment his puzzled (worrisome) thoughts were pushed slightly to the back of his mind.

The afternoon passed without incident, and by four pm the fires had seen the guests happily warmed as they all opened their presents. Pepper held her baby boy closely to her chest as she perched on the sofa, cooing softly at him. His small, alert eyes looked up into her face and sought her out when he heard her voice. He had allegedly Pepper's nose – Tony had said that was fortunate, as hers was far more elegant than his, he had jokingly told her once – but his eyes … Pepper caressed his brow lightly; her darling had his father's eyes. Brown and dark with a bright focus.

The last of the guests bundled into their cars and left the house, bidding her a merry Christmas and to give Tony their regards.

Only Rhodey remained now, along with the closest from their S.H.I.E.L.D. guests, like Bruce and Betty Ross.

Larissa, the jovial nanny Pepper had hired to look after her soon the second she had had to return to work, came over with the bottle, and Pepper gladly took it from her and gently offered it to her son's sweet round mouth. He hungrily latched on and drew the sweet substance that made him full and satisfied. His eyes did not grow heavy in complacency as he fed, no, they remained round and alert as they gazed up and unerringly found his mother's benign gaze shining down onto him.

Rhodey and Bruce were over by the fireplace talking quietly, an the others were scattered here and there in the house, like Betty, who had taken to wondering over to the large windows and gazing out into the darkened day as it sped towards twilight.

The feeling in Pepper's breast, that prowling animal that cagily snapped backwards and forwards, would not be calmed, even by her son's precious weight in her arms.

Rhodey and Bruce had seemed to come to the same conclusion, for they both moved away from the fireplace and came towards them, crouching down next to their perch.

Bruce spoke in that soothing tone of voice that was his by nature, but his eyes spoke of a mood that was anything but serene. They mirrored Rhodey's quite well in fact.

It was a welcome thing to Pepper to be reminded that others cared for Tony a very great deal, that she wasn't the only one.

"Pepper, perhaps we should have JARVIS look for him again? I've already contacted headquarters in New York, and they're looking into it."

Pepper's breath hitched and her hands involuntarily clutched her son tighter. He did not like this and began snuffling in protesting. Larissa swooped in out of nowhere and took the baby out of Pepper's arms. Though she missed his comforting weight, she let him go in order to let him finish eating in peace.

She looked at Rhodey, and felt helpless.

And then she heard it.

The past few years had seen her becoming trained of sorts, attuned to that sound that would signal her man's return home. Because she had been doing this for so long, and had grown as accustomed to it as she was to the phone's ringtone, she was the first to hear it.

Pepper immediately rose out of the sofa and hurried to stand in front of the windows. She turned around to the others' puzzled glances, her face beaming, eyes alight with relief and joy.

"He's here at last!"

She barely had time to see the smiles on Rhodey's and Bruce's faces before she tore off in the direction of the stair. Her heart beat erratically fast, relieved beyond words that her husband had finally returned. Berating him for being so awfully late would come later, right now she just wanted to hug him and give him another Christmas Kiss.

Her heels clacked sharply against the floor, echoing in her ears with their urgency. Pepper could see it now, him standing on the platform as the robots disassembled the suit off him, as though they were slowly unwrapping a gift. Her gift. She couldn't have asked for anything better.

A happy giggle escaped her mouth, and she felt giddy like a teenage girl running off to meet her crush for the first time. With Tony it had always been like this, ever since the start of their romantic relationship, and it still was to this day years later, where they were married and had a beautiful baby boy. It would be like this for the rest of her life, Pepper was sure.

When the workshop finally came into full view, her feet, and their momentum, carried her all the way to the door straightaway. Her eyes impatiently looked over to the platform, which she could just about barely peek at, if she pressed her nose right up to the glass barrier. Her hand was still moving as she punched in the code, but her brain was already processing what her eyes were seeing.

And her eyes told her brain that Tony was not on the platform.

A tug of war began in her body. Her automatic responses were to grasp the handle and pull it towards herself to open the door. But in her mind, things began to slow down.

She walked on auto-pilot and entered the workshop, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the platform. He should have been there now, with the robots taking the armour and stowing it away safely. For a moment, she could not comprehend why she should not be seeing this familiar scene.

Pepper looked in confusion around the area immediately closest to her. The kitchenette area was empty, and there were no sounds coming from the small bathroom he'd had installed briefly after becoming Iron Man, so that he wouldn't have to wait to get upstairs in order to get clean.

Pepper frowned and bit her lip worriedly.

She walked around towards the desks where his monitors were on standby with the screensaver activated, various paraphernalia scattered across the smooth surfaces, looking completely undisturbed.

Here she stopped for a moment to gaze at the photo activated as screensaver. It was a photo Tony had taken himself, and had later shown her proudly, his face beaming with a rare amount of happiness. The photo was of her lying back in a hospital bed wearing a pastel blue gown, holding a tiny bundle of white blankets. Her head was bent towards the bundle and not looking at the camera, yet the look of utter amazement and joy could not be mistaken, as Pepper looked down at their baby boy for the first time. From the angle this photo was taken, you could just about see the baby's little face, and it never failed to make her breath catch slightly in her chest every time she saw it. Tony had put this up as his screensaver instead of the hot rod on their first night back home from the hospital; and he'd also programmed the suit to have a tiny rendition of it inside the HUD when he was operating in it, to 'remind him of what he had to come home to.'

From the corner of her eye she finally noticed a gleam of red and gold.

She turned before her brain could fully register what was in front of her.

Her heart plummeted.

"Tony … "

He was lying behind one of the cars. That's why she hadn't seen him at first.

Her voice took on shrill tone. She couldn't help herself and was moving on instinct alone, the animal in her breast clawing her from the inside, feral in its demands to be let out.

"_Tony!"_

She sprinted over to his prone form, still cased inside the suit and fell to her knees beside him. The helmet was lying on its side, abandoned, a few feet away from him.

His face had never been so pale in all her years with him.

Pepper grappled his form and heaved the upper part of his bust onto her legs, uncaring of the crushing weight of the armour, with its dented surface scratching unforgiving into her tender skin.

His hair was matted with sweat and blood.

His eyes were closed.

He had made no sound.

He had given her no signs that he was-

Pepper was too far gone to realise that the harsh, desperate cries were being wrought from her mouth, as they echoed harshly around in the concrete cavern.

"Tony! Tony, oh god … Tony, talk to me please! Open your eyes!"

Her hands flew all over him, trying to get at his flesh, and instead all they were met with was the cold hard metal.

She grabbed at his face, supported his head when she saw that it sagged backwards, _willing_ him to open his eyes.

Except for a shallow cut on his cheekbone, his face was unmarred. And the contrast between his dark hair and the paper-like translucent hue of his skin put her heart in an icebox.

Interspersed with her calling his name and bidding him to look at her, disbelieving, tortured cries escaped her lips.

JARVIS was silent.

Nothing else seemed to exist except for her beloved lying on the ground, unresponsive, the cold seeping into her skin as warm liquid flowed down her bent legs and onto the concrete.

She jiggled and shook and grabbed at him as much as the suit would allow. Breathing was painful, because her lungs sucked at the air in harsh gulps and her throat became instantly sore from her cries.

"Tony! TO-NY! Open your eyes! Please!"

Her violent outburst must have shaken something, stirred within that shell a dredge of existence, because he coughed and his head reared up weakly, opening his eyes into slits as though that alone took more effort than he could muster.

She had never been so terrified for him before this moment.

Pepper immediately supported his weight to try to get his head to stay up, avidly looking at his face, mere centimetres from hers, as he stirred. Her hands wanted to clutch at his sides, but instead they slid over the metal. There were scratches on her palms that already oozed rivulets of blood.

So much red.

And then she looked into his eyes.

And the keening began.

She yelled incoherent words, and her brain tried to deny what was in his eyes. She couldn't accept this. This _couldn't_ be happening, she screamed, both silently and outwardly.

"Tony, what – how could this – TonyTonyTonyTony, oh _god, please_…you can't – oh, HELP!"

Tony whispered something, but she was too busy yelling, screaming.

"Help… Rhodey! _**RHODEY!**_"

The keening, the desperate way she rocked and clutched and _screamed_ – she couldn't take this, couldn't take this, couldn'tbearthis, don't don't don't –

"HELP ME, PLEASE … RHODEY!"

Tony's voice was weak and no more than the whisper of a butterfly's wings.

"_Amore … _I don't wa- … I can't … I don't want to leave you…"

Pepper screamed and screamed, till her throat became raw, and then beyond. Whatever had happened to the thing inside her chest – her heart? – it was bleeding out of her, mortally wounded.

_TonyTonyTonyTonyTony-_

Thundering footsteps crashed down the stairs and stampeded across the concrete floor. Rhodey and Bruce were shouting but she couldn't look at them, couldn't hear anything but her husband's wheezing breath, couldn't see anything past the light dimmed in his eyes, couldn't feel anything but the torture of this moment that could not come, it could not come could not come –

As Rhodey approached them, and Pepper cried incoherently, her hands twisted into sharp maws trying to hold him to life… Tony stopped breathing, and, his eyes still open, his face slid sideways.

Rhodey threw himself on the ground in front of her on Tony's other side, his hand homing in with the speed of a hummingbird on his best friend's pulse on the side of his neck –

Bruce was shouting down the phone, calling an ambulance, but she knew, she knew she knew she knew _she knew_-

The expression of Rhodey's face was indescribable to Pepper in that moment; she could not have applied words to it if she tried.

The disbelieving grief that lined his face and edged it in pain was something she saw but was incapable of truly acknowledging.

Pepper wailed, and the sound was that of a mortally wounded animal, drawing its last cries-

She slumped over onto his chest, her arm still cradling his head, and still the sound kept coming and coming from her mouth, becoming more pronounced and louder as the seconds passed by-

"_Why – why – what did they __**do**__ – aa-haaaaaaa-_"

And then Rhodey was tearing him away from her, and putting him fully on the floor, and as he bent over him and brought their lips pressed together, she realised that he was trying to resuscitate him, but she knew, she-_**knew**_-

Her clothing was stained with the last thing of himself he had given her, red and cold in its betrayal, but she could no longer tell which was hers and which was his-

Bruce rushed over to them along with their mutual friend Tom Hunt, a doctor, who had left their house not half an hour before-

As Dr. Hunt took over resuscitation, Rhodey shot up to his feet and bounded away, only to return a short time later with the tools they would need to extract Tony out of the suit-

And even as he tore at the locks keeping it together, Dr. Hunt's ashen face turned to his wife and numbly shook his head-

And everyone became still.

Even the monster that had tried to crawl out of Pepper's chest was no longer moving. It had left, it had escaped, and it had mauled her irreparably and left wide slash marks onto her breast-

And …

There was…

Nothing.

The grief seemed to bury Pepper with its weight all in one fatal blow. She wailed again and bent over her husband's body, caged in away from her by the armour, her face resting skin-to-skin onto his, his name the only thing she seemed capable of speaking coherently, and still she keened and screamed, but she got louder and louder, because no matter how much she abused her vocal cords, the shattering grief inside did not let up, and she couldn't hear anymore-

The other three men stood as though statues in the room with her, locked up in their pain, and the image she made bent over her husband's dead body, rocking and screaming-

"_Why! Whywhywhywhywh … you fl- To- Tony! __**Tony**_-"

There were sounds registering into her brain, but were left unacknowledged, even that of her infant, fatherless baby boy wailing in the background, and Rhodey sobbing like a little kid, bowing under an invisible weight and crashing onto his knees. Bruce Banner's face had twisted into a grimace of grief so badly it would probably leave lines on his face, and their doctor friend was talking on the phone-

But none of this reached her.

Pepper was so lost into her own grief that it was like knives were hacking away at her. Her maw-like hands scrabbled all over his form, slicking further with the blood in his hair, pulling at his arm. Her face kept wavering between pressing onto the space between his chin and the luminous arc reactor, and his own face, lips pressing onto his lips, always speaking, always muttering.

And then her hands were cradling it to her own, and she was trying to push into him, an apoplexy of movements as her soul tried to get him to respond to her-

But he'd left her.

And for a moment her mind turned mad at the thought, because she wanted nothing more on this earth than to reach him, but now she didn't know how, and he was her sun and stars, and she was his satellite, and the satellites orbited without purpose or course when their planets were gone-

The sheer hatred galvanised her into action, but it was not a sane mind process.

She began shrieking and clawing at the armour that still clung and encased him, a premature coffin, and she had to take it off him, she couldn't stand the sight of him in it-

"_**Take it OFF, takeitoff, I wannit' off, get this off him! Get him out of it!"**_

She beat at it with the tools and her hands, injuring herself further, more sickly red slicking on the red, and she hated that colour, could never again look at that colour, would never again tolerate it anywhere near her-

And then Rhodey was there with her, attacking the suit with the specially-designed tools Tony had left behind, and the two of them cut him out of it. For every piece that ended up free in her hands, she flung it as far away and with as much force as she could, but it wasn't enough, nothing would ever be enough-

And then he was free.

And she could hold him in her arms again, hold him as he had promised to do for the rest of their lives-

"Tony…Tony…"

Her lips kissed out tattoos onto his face as she spoke his name over and over, tasting salt and iron, copper and rust.

She clutched at his dead flesh and wept.

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><p><strong>End of chapter one. Look for chapter two in the next <span>two days<span>! R&R!**

**ALSO: **_a huge thank you to those who reviewed, or added my fic to their favourites list, put it on their alert, and to those who keep coming back. It means so much to me. :)_

_And finally: I have made a** fic banner** for this story. If you'd like to see it, check it out here_

- browse(dot)deviantart(dot)com/?qh=§ion=&global=1&q=tarnished+fanfic+banner#/d5199dq -


	2. Anywhere but here

**Author's notes: **Just wanted to say a quick thank-you to my wonderful beta _**Missy Mayhem**_because this is all thanks to her help, encouragement and advice. Couldn't have done this without you, Miz.

Also, thank you to all my lovely readers, those who left reviews, those who put this story in their favourites list or story alert - you don't know how much it means to me, truly. And now, after three months, or more, here it is at last: chapter two. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>* Chapter Two: Anywhere but here *<strong>

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"_When I'm not with you,_

_I know that it's true, that I'd rather be anywhere but here_

_Without you._

_Anywhere but here.**"**_

- by Safetysuit

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**(AN UNDEFINED AMOUNT OF TIME EARLIER)**

With a drink held safely in one hand, Pepper grinned and spun around, dancing to the tune, singing along. "_Light a fire flame in my heaaaart. We'll run wiiiiild, we'll be gloh-wing in the daaaaaark...WOO! Glo-wing in the daaaark ... oooooohh ... run riot! Start glowing in the daaark... OH_!"

Pepper whooped and danced on, letting the blood-pumping beats take over.

By the time the song was over, she still had a wide smile on her face, and was lightly flushed.

When Tony entered the room, his eyes were - always, always - glued to her. He paused mid-step, and looked at her with a slightly speculative look on his face, as though seeing her for the first time.

Her eyes were lit with pleasure and mirth he seldom saw in her, and her face was so open and ... bright that for a second he couldn't' look away, utterly mystified._ I've never seen her like that_, he thought as an honest smile lit his face.

The Zeppelin blared out another song, and Pepper, fantastically unrestrained, started singing again, spinning around unselfconscious and happy.

"_Yeeehhh, yeeeeh. Yeeehh, yeeeeh...oh, oh oh! Oh the river oh the river it's running frEE! And I've seen it in the flights of birds... I've seen it in youuuuuu! ... just keep FOLLO-wiiiing the heartlines on your heaaaaaaaad ... cause I am_!"

Her eyes were closed and her face was smooth and serene.

Something inside Tony seemed to melt right there, and his eyes became infinitely gentle as he looked at her. Then he stepped closer to her and drew his arms around her, guiding her in a little spin, before settling his hands intimatelyon her hips and drew her into his embrace.

Pepper smiled up at him, humming in pleasure. Tony's smile widened. He secretly loved these moments because he knew that were it any other woman, heck anyone else for that matter, he could never be so himself, could never be so open. But it was Pepper, and their discovery and mutual understanding of each other improved with each day. He didn't have to hide himself from her.

They continued swaying on the spot, but neither spoke. After a moment, Tony took the tumbler from her hand, took a tiny sip, then set it on the table and enfolded her in his arms again.

Pepper's smile narrowed, and the light in her eyes adjusted in tandem with his in the moment that had suddenly become more intimate. The music that was playing now was just perfect for the mood in the air, Sade's powerful vocals weaving a magical spell over them.

Pepper whispered as she sang along to the lyrics, unable to look away from the gentle, hot look on Tony's face. "_My love is wider ... wider than Victoria Lake. My love is taller ... taller than the Empire State ... tell meeee ... is it a - criiiiime..._"

Tony suddenly leaned down and covered her lips with his own, fusing them together in a gentle kiss that was heavy with emotion which was to this day unspoken but mutual.

Pepper's heart trembled and she carded his hair with her fingers, loving the thick and soft texture of his multiple-hundred dollar haircut.

Their tongues courted one another, and then Tony took charge, exploring the sweet mouth he could never get enough of. His hands moved up to her back and brought her closer still, humming at the little noises she was making.

Tony's brain carried on working.

He was a genius, after all.

But kissing Pepper - indeed anything with Pepper – always distractedhim a little, just enough that not all of his brain power could focus on calculations and schematics. But he didn't consider that a bad thing anymore, to have his mind consumed by a woman, and his heart too. It was Pepper, after all.

Wait - Pepper was lightly scratching at the sensitive nape of his neck, and he couldn't help shivering. Tony compensated by lightly running his digits over the best thighs - always admired Pepper's legs, yep - he had ever seen, and felt smug when she pushed insistently against him in response to this caress.

The music carried on but they were busy in a dance of a different kind now.

What had started out as a light, innocent moment of closeness, had quickly transformed into hot, steady fire that was starting to spark, a fire that could not be denied.

Pepper's hands were now sweeping his chest, up his throat, tracing his jaw, inhaling the powerful scent that she found intoxicating.

Tony's hands were not home birds, by any means. They roamed, had always liked travelling, touching, tracing, studying, learning curves - be they metal, or a woman's.

Besides, Pepper's hypnotising derrière was a thing of beauty that he could not resist for long.

HOW he had managed to keep his hungry hands off it all these years, he would probably never know. He truly must have been both mad and blind.

But, no dwelling on the past right now.

His hands cupped her and brought her into blessed contact with a very interesting - interested? Oh, YES - area south of his belt. Tony gave a happy groan, finding this new-found closeness extremely satisfying.

A shiver ran through Pepper at the shockingly possessive move, and her legs seemed to turn into jell-o as his masculine growl reverberated through his chest. She still found it difficult to come to terms with the sheer depth of his desire for her, something that had never happened with her previous partners.

Her innermost feminine side instinctively replied to his masculine call. Pepper's face became warmer as her hips started undulating slightly, unable to stay still when the evidence of his desire was so obvious and so close to her own yielding flesh.

His name escaped her lips in a breathy whisper. She felt drugged, and deliciously wanton, and so, so ready to be with him.

Tony's eyes dilated as he read her answer in her languorous eyes, half-lidded and alluring.

Taking a firm grip of her bottom again, he hoisted her up and Pepper gave a soft squeak at the unexpected move, her long delicious legs wrapping around him to secure her position. She leaned close to him and took his bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it and soothing it with a fire trail of her tongue.

Tony growled again, his hard fingers digging more firmly into her flesh. Oh yeah. She was gorgeous. His -out-of-control-gorgeous Pepper.

Flames licked at his belly, and he started moving towards the general direction of the bedroom, holding her safely close, her legs securely anchored at his hips, she the sweetest weight he had ever held.

"Oh, _bed-time_ Mr. Stark."

Tony felt for the door and pushed it open, dipping her briefly as he kissed her. She wound her arms around his neck and her toes curled from the delicious anticipation as he straightened and lifted her a few inches higher up his chest, before lowering her again, her legs entwining lovingly at his back.

Pepper whimpered at the friction. "Tony..."

He nipped at her throat, feeling a ripple of savage satisfaction as she purred. His breath ghosted over her ear, and her breath hitched at his whisper. "_Amore..._"

They fell onto the bed and did not sleep for many hours.

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><p>The next day Pepper stepped off the plane and took a moment to breathe in the delicious warm air, fragrant with vitality and sweet natural mystery.<p>

Tony had utterly surprised her - actually, it was more of a shock, really - because he'd sprung his fabulous idea on her last week, had managed to do it all by himself - therein lay the shock - and now here she was, thousands of miles away from the company and everything stress-related, in a paradise location.

Even working for Tony Stark so many years, this was the first time she **had **set foot in the Bahamas, and already she felt lighter, more care-free, and as thoughso many possibilities stretched at a mere reach of her fingertips.

Tony had proposed they go on a little vacation to unwind a little, just the two of them.

Of course, as usual when he told her they were in one of those energy-absorbing moments where the company needed all their brainpower and efforts combined, and shecouldn't possibly contemplate making an escape, a retreat.

_A retreat, at a time like this?_

_Well, I'm just saying, you know, get a chance to recharge your batteries …_

_Not everybody runs on batteries, Tony._

She firmly pushed that memory out of her mind, determined she would enjoy these seven days fully.

She still couldn't believe that he'd done it all himself, with the help of JARVIS as his ever faithful guide/enabler, of course. Tony had sprung his genius on her at a particularly harried moment, she'd distractedly turned him down (she usually SHOT him down), and he'd listened to her opinions, then disregarded them and embraced his own.

As usual. But not only that, he'd cleared both their schedules, had two important 'be-there-or-I-will-neuter-you' meetings ahead of time, got things done with PR, and now here she was.

Seven days and eight nights stretched ahead of her, and Pepper had to admit to herself that she was very glad of the break.

Now if only her wayward boyfriend could be persuaded to come join her in this spotless plot of paradise. Unfortunately, Tony had been called away at the very last second, and it had been so important that he couldn't put it off.

They had agreed -much to her displeasure, but he insisted- that she would travel ahead on the jet, and as soon as he tied off this last unexpected knot, he would join her that evening, and give way to their romantic retreat in tropical paradise.

Pepper sighed regretfully; she'd have to wait to put on the little hot pink bikini that Tony was absolutely dying to see on her.

But then she cheered up as she thought of all the activities she could do on the private island, and ... The Spa. Apparently the Shambhala Retreat had one of the most extensive treatment list in the world for its Spa ... that sounded like - paradise. Her body being made to sing - and not because of great sex with Tony - just a phone call away.

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><p>The car was waiting for her on the tarmac of the private airstrip, and Pepper hurried inside. She reclined back on the luxurious seat and looked at the beautifully stunning scenery zooming past outside the windows, waiting to get to Saadet House, the villa Tony owned. It was all beautiful and magical … she only wished Tony was here with her.<p>

Stretching her tired muscles, she settled more comfortably into the soft leather seat and, resting her head back, let the car lull her into a state of semi-sleep.

Pepper emerged from the en-suite bathroom, a fluffy white towel wrapped around her body whilst she scrubbed at her wet hair with another, her dreamy gaze immediately drawn onto thebalcony outside, and the inviting horizon that stretched beyond that**,** seemingly into eternity. She'd picked the western master-suite to stay in, and since she'd also taken Tony's luggage with her, she figured that would be the first thing she'd have to see to.

After having helpfully taken care of this, and neatly placed all their belongings in the large walk-in closet, the staff made themselves scarce.

"Oh, how beautiful is this place!" Pepper sighed happily, feeling much better after the luxurious shower that had lifted all the invisibleweightoff her shoulders.

She was going to have a light breakfast and then head over to the private beach with her trusty camera companion, in search of beautiful scenery to snapshot. It looked like there was only too much of that in every direction she turned.

Tony had told her to take it easy and do whatever she wanted after arriving at the house, but Pepper was torn between doing a little more thorough sight-seeing, and staying close to the property in readiness for Tony's arrival that evening.

Dressing quickly in a light shirt and tiny white sailor's shorts, Pepper took her beach bag and headed downstairs towards the pool. She settled for a little fresh air in the perfectly manicured lush tropical garden and plenty of sunshine, on a comfy recliner. Settling in, she applied sun lotion and her sunglasses – everything was so _bright_ here, it took some getting used to – she dug into her fresh fruit and blueberry cupcake breakfast with gusto, loving the feel of the salty warm breeze through her hair. She'd read her book for a couple of hours, then head down to the beach for some Catamaran sailing with an instructor 'Sheron', or some other. She'd have to have a look at the itinerary planned out in her notebook to make sure she got the name right though, because she honestly couldn't be certain she remembered it correctly.

Pepper hoisted her Canon up to her face, adjusted the lenses, and snapped a shot of the gorgeously simple colours of the pier leading down to the private beach, the wind ruffling her hair. She'd just returned from sailing with 'Sheron' – who had not been a woman as she had assumed. Pepper had been pleasantly surprised when the guys down at the agency had introduced her to a very fit looking rippled man with a tumbled head of blonde hair and shocking grey eyes … but she wouldn't mention this to Tony in so many words, Pepper thought. Best to leave certain thoughts to herself. It was all innocent after all, but Tony being Tony, he'd never leave her alone about it, constantly demanding she tell him every little detail about going out on a boat with Sheron and his crew, in order to assuage his (jealous) fears.

After sailing with Sheron (which had been great fun as she'd never been in a catamaran before), she'd returned to the house and had a chicken al pesto salad sandwich, surprised at how hungry she was. It must be the sea-air, she reasoned, it did wonders for the well-being … and the appetite.

Then again, who wouldn't feel practically god-like after just a few hours in this corner of the earth? The Turks and Caicos Islands were her first foray into the Caribbean, and were working their magic on her already. Pepper was used to travelling up and down the country, and out of country for the company. She did it both as Tony's PA and now as CEO of Stark Enterprises. She'd seen many, many wondrous exotic places, both in the orient and in the Old Continent, and had acquired over the years her own personal favourite locations. Saadet House was huge – one of the biggest of Tony's real estate properties, but it was quickly going into her topmost favourite list.

_Speaking of appetite_ -

Pepper gnawed on her lower lip as she absently went through the stunning photographs on her camera, thinking about Tony.

She supposed she should tell herself to stop mooning and to just fill her time doing some of the many activities that the islands offered in his absence, to enjoy herself to the maximum. She definitely should be glad of this small window of time she had to herself, where she could relax and unwind a little from her daily life.

Truth is, this was meantto be an utterly romantic get-away with her exuberant and larger-than-life other half, and she missed him.

She began strolling on the white sand, completely focused on her own inner musings. This too was a rare luxury. There were still plenty of hours left until his arrival, and so many ways for her to kill the time … like planning how she'd welcome him.

Pepper's lips quirked in a secret little smile as she thought of the truly gorgeous items of clothing she'd brought with her. And the lingerie, as well as the bikinis.

So many choices … She started planning it all: where she would meet him – out in the pool deck, or inside, like in the master suite? – and what she would wear (the lacy two-piecewith pale fuchsia details, or the red bikini?) It felt great to be able to allow herself to think such thoughts with regards to Tony; after years of repressed and sublimated feelings, she could finally let it happen. She could let herself dare to want it.

That's when she felt something strange.

Pepper stopped walking and stood stock still as a strange shiver ran up her spine, making her flesh crawl. Instinctively, she raised her head and looked about her, towards the trees and bushes, then further back to her left towards the shoreline, almost expecting to see someone else there.

But there was no one.

The shivers became so pronounced her shoulder jerked towards her neck, almost as if she were cold. Her breathing sped up slightly. Her body was trying to warn her of something, and feeling slightly alarmed, Pepper wondered what on earth was going on. And then her body became rigid, all the joints seemingly locked down. What was happening? She wanted to move, and envisioned placing one foot in front of the other in order to carry on walking … and found herself incapable of even raising her ankles, as though she was glued to the ground.

A cold breeze swept over her, so cold it was almost icy, and Pepper shivered more violently, wanting desperately to move, to understand what was happening.

And then her body seemed to lose all the rigidity. Her legs felt like they were made of jell-o, but she could move again. So she did.

Pepper stumbled forward, almost as if she had been pulling on something that had suddenly snapped back and carried her in its momentum. Her icy fingers almost lost their grip on the camera, but she righted herself just in time. Her head swung this way and that, feeling disconcerted by what had just happened. When her heart rate normalised, she shook herself off and hurried back to the house, feeling an infinite number of eyes following her up the path, although when she looked there was no one there, her skin prickling with it. She hurriedly shut the front doors and leaned against them for a moment, exhaling softly. She felt a bit better now that she was no longer out in the open and in a house with people she could-

"Oh, stop it. Stop, Virginia." Pepper rallied her efforts and calmed down, dismissing the whole thing as too much stress that she needed to let go of; clearly Tony had been right, in this instance if not in others, a vacation would do them both a world of good.

Later that afternoon she connected the memory card to her laptop and downloaded all the photos she'd taken earlier, and they were faithful representations of the stunning beauty that surrounded her. She picked one of the ocean and the beach and set it as her desktop wallpaper. Looking through the ones she'd taken on the catamaran, she smiled as Sheron's goofy face cropped up here and there in a couple of shots, posing comically for the camera. Pepper particularly liked the one where almost all the crew was captured in the same shot, all working together with ropes and sails.

All in all, she thought, not a bad morning at all. Next she checked her phone for emails and messages, but there were none from Tony. She figured that he must still be pretty tied up and couldn't spare even a moment to text her. Pepper refused to dwell too much on the inkling of disappointment accompanied by the longing she felt.

_Never mind, _she thought, _I'll have him all to myself in a few hours. _Soon they could finally take a break from it all, and just be. And she'd be keeping him _very_ busy for the rest of the week. What a perfectly delicious prospect that was.

Next she looked up her schedule with island activities for the rest of the day, and she was due in for an Indonesian massage in a couple of hours. Pepper left the computer on standby, hoisted it under her arm and dropped her phone next to it on the desk, making her way upstairs and into the shower. There she placed it on the desk in front of the French doors and went into the en-suite.

Pepper stepped out into the bedroom and paused. The floaty white drapes on the French door were swaying gently in the breeze of the coming night air, almost as if they had a will of their own and a specific choreography to follow, beckoning the blue horizon and the setting sun.

She could have sworn she'd shut the door before entering the bathroom. A niggling feeling made her nape tingle. Maybe one of the staff had opened it whilst she was in the shower, Loretta perhaps? But she hadn't heard anyone come in and move about.. Pepper's uneasy frown was not completely smoothed off her face as she considered this. The chillier breeze swept her wet flesh and she hurriedly stepped forward to shut the door. She stilled for a moment, hand on the handle gazing out into the balcony and the approaching twilight.

She could make out her own reflection in the glass surface, and did not like the veiled worry in her own eyes. The corners of her mouth curved down slightly, and then shook her head. She making a mountain out of an ant hill. The massage would do her some good.

Then suddenly something in the reflection just next to her _moved_. Pepper yelled and quickly turned around, startled out of her wits. There was no one there, but she had _seen_ something behind her moving. She was losing her mind, there couldn't be any other explanation. She heard the staff's voices floating up to her from the ground floor, and felt some reassurance. Pepper squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She breathed deeply and then quickly dressed.

She skipped dinner and decided she might grab a quick bite at the spa, or just wait until Tony arrived so they could dine together, at least. She'd pigged out on enough food for the whole day anyway.

Pepper descended the staircase that lead to the hallway. The lights were slightly dimmed to make for a cosier ambiance, which probably meant that most of the staff had retired to their apartments.

She grabbed her bag and headed out the path towards the Shambhala Resort, where the spa centre was.

In the meantime, it had grown almost fully dark, and the sounds of night animals catcalling and moving in the brush made her extremely nervous. The Resort was only a ten minute walk away from the house, so she didn't see the need to disturb the chauffeur to driver her there, when she could walk. And the cool night air would probably do her some good. She'd been exposed to the hot sun all those hours during the day and wasn't used to it, so now it was all probably catching up with her, making her 'see' things and all. Pepper picked up her pace and breathed in the rich smells of a Caribbean night, feeling pleasure rolling all the way to her toes. It was beautiful, and it felt so great to be free for a few days of her responsibilities and her work.

But then a chill caressed her nape, making her shiver. It felt like the same chill she'd felt earlier in the afternoon out on the beach.

She clutched her bag tightly and walked faster, her stance rigid, like when (years ago) she had lived in a less than savoury part of town, and walking around the streets of her neighbourhood at night always put her on edge and on the alert for attackers. Her more logical side was telling her to stop being so ridiculous, for goodness' sake – she was perfectly safe here, Pepper knew this, but for some reason she just couldn't shake the feeling of warning.

She went thicker into the small palm tree thicket, but was reassured in seeing the bright lights of the Shambhala up ahead and not too far away. Exotic birds called to each other and insects buzzed lowly around her as she walked, being careful to avoid tripping, and following the general path lit up by small outdoors lanterns planted into the ground. She was very intent on reaching her destination, and focused on avoiding roots and stones on the ground, but Pepper still realised the very second it happened that suddenly everything around her went awfully quiet, like someone had abruptly muted all sounds.

The sound of her breathing was particularly loud in her ears as a result, and her eyes immediately scanned the area, her senses sharpening and stretching out to capture as much as possible.

Of course, of _course_ she'd come all the way out here to the Caribbean only to be assaulted, it was typical of her luck. Her survival instincts kicked in and told her that staying out in the open and exposed to threats was not ideal survival material. She crept up to a palm tree and hid behind its trunk, alert to all and any possible sounds.

She thought she heard rustling noises in her vicinity, and desperately wished for a weapon of some kind, but in the dark she couldn't see very well. It sounded … oh god, it sounded like footsteps. Pepper bit her lip and firmly told herself to stay calm and be ready for a fight and flight; she wasn't stupid enough to think that if anyone had nefarious intents towards her person, that she could handle it without trying to get away. She waited with bated breath for a sign of something moving, the blood roaring in her ears and her heart beating madly against her ribcage, her body tensed and ready to spring into action.

An icy breeze swept in from the trees in front of her and though she was mostly sheltered by the palm trunk, she still felt its sting. The light wind that picked up moaned eerily through the thicket, and grated on nerves that were quickly wrought from anxiety. Her legs trembled slightly, but she refused to be completely intimidated and loose her cool ability to think clearly. The wind soon died down, and after that there was nothing.

Pepper waited and could almost feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, sustaining it. When nothing happened for a few minutes, she relaxed slightly and felt it was safe to step out from behind the tree trunk and get the hell out of there. That's exactly what she did, all but running down the lit path, her heart thundering in her ears, shivering as the adrenaline banked. She could see the trees thinning out up ahead and giving way to the resort grounds, and could have cried with relief. She was almost there now, and everything would be fine, and she was definitely going to ask the reception to organise motorised transport back to the house when her massage was over.

Pepper stepped more quickly down the path that gave way to steps into the courtyard with its brightly lit fountains. Her spine crawled again, and it felt like the breath had been knocked out of her lungs with the sheer intensity of her body's response. With a cry of alarm, Pepper whipped around … and never saw the hit coming.

* * *

><p>The jet sped through the dark sky, cutting through fluffy white clouds noiselessly. The only crew inside, apart from the pilot, were two stewardesses who quietly attended to the catering service. The plane's only passenger, Tony Stark, sat in one of the comfortable chairs, looking over schematics for an SE project and nursing a tumbler of scotch.<p>

He liked the quiet of the cabin, his mind intensely focused on the papers before him. Taking this short break had truly been genius, both he and Pepper needed it. Considering the events that had transpired in New York five months previously, with S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers Initiative, the rebuilding of the Tower, and the company obligations both he and Pepper had, there had been very little time they could spend relaxing and truly enjoy each other's company.

Tony knew he had surprised her immensely – and this time it was a surprise of the _good_ kind - and he felt both proud at having done something that pleased her, but also smug (because he was Tony Stark after all).

In just under thirty minutes the plane would land on the private strip, and then he'd race to the house, and to _her_, impatient to finally be with her.

Tony looked out the window and smiled, the ice clinking inside the tumbler a comforting sound for when he was feeling introspective – which happened more and more often these days. Seven days of pure bliss with Pepper in the Caribbean (and the nights, he was looking forward to _those_ with barely restrained glee). Fantasies of Pepper wearing dozens of colourful and tastefully revealing bikinis and floaty peignoirs filled the largest portion of his mind, whilst the rest always worked in the background in some way, making calculations, considering algorithms, thinking up ways to improve the suit's durability during flight -

The suit.

Tony hadn't told her, but he'd brought the Mark VI with him this night. He fully intended to have nothing to do with Iron Man for the next week, but that didn't mean that the world had the same plans. He'd learned a hard lesson last year, that he must always be prepared. He also had JARVIS downloaded onto a small platform on his StarkPhone that would keep him updated on any situations that may require Iron Man to step in.

One of the stewardesses approached him with a dutiful, if lightly flirtatious smile. "We're landing in ten minutes, Mr. Stark, is there anything I can do for you?"

Her tone was both helpful and suggestive, and he was silently thankful that Pepper wasn't here with him.

With a wry smirk, he looked her steadily in the eye (no more looking down their shirts to their racks) and answered her, his tone steady and subtly stern. "No thank you Mora, that'll be all." He gulped the rest of the scotch, handed her the tumbler and closed his eyes. Having been clearly dismissed, the woman retreated as silently as she had come. It briefly occurred to him that actually her name was probably Laura, but his firm dismissal had had the desired effect, and there was no point in calling her back to apologise now.

The jet landed smoothly on the tarmac, and before the wheels had fully rolled to a stop, Tony was already out of his seat and striding purposefully to the exit, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for the crew on board to open the door and extend the stairs.

A couple of minutes later the pilot exited his cabin. Tony thanked Teddy for the flight and told him to pick them up next week, then fairly skipped down the stairs. The only thing he personally saw to was the casket in which the Mark VI was secretly hidden. After seeing that it followed his car, he got in, and smiled at the thought of seeing Pepper at last.

* * *

><p>In the distance, at the Shambhala Resort, Tanesha had just stepped out for a cigarette through the staff's entrance where she had a clear view of the courtyard and beyond that the palm trees that formed a small thicket. The night air was warm and fragrant with exotic plants and the smell of the ocean breeze, both familiar and welcome in the aftermath of the kitchens' heat. She blew the smoke out and stood next to the door, looking out towards the dark water and crossing one arm on her midriff to hug herself.<p>

A distant voice suddenly cried out, and Tanesha instinctively turned to her right to see where it came from.

She saw a woman on the far sideof the courtyard, barely out of the trees. Tanesha frowned and rolled her eyes, going back to her cigarette. These rich people, she thought, shaking her head. Out of curiosity she turned back to look.

A man appeared out of nowhere through the tree line. His features were indistinct to her at this distance, but she could see the dark hair. He wrapped his arms around the woman's torso, one hand going up to tilt her head backwards. The woman appeared to be struggling.

Tanesha's cigarette hung limply from her slack mouth and fell to the floor, unnoticed as she gasped. The woman seemed to stop fighting and sagged into the man's arms. He slowly retreated through the trees, and Tanesha saw them no more. She shakily placed a steadying hand on her chest and then ran back inside, banging the door shut.

* * *

><p>Tony gave the butler who came out to greet him instructions as to what he wanted him to do with the casket, then grabbed his small holdall and jogged into the foyer, a brilliant smile on his face.<p>

"Honey, I'm home!" In but a few moments he would be with Pepper again. He could barely contain his excitement; though he had insisted for her sake that she go ahead without him, Tony never liked being away from her for long periods of spied Loretta coming out of the large room overlooking the patio and turned to greet her. The middle-aged housekeeper he'd grown fond of over the years always had a big smile on her face and a warm hug for him.

"Loretta, you haven't aged a day! Where's Pepper?"

"Oh Mr. Stark, how you do run on! Ms. Potts isn't in residence." Tony frowned, feeling a little crushed that Pepper would be out of the house when she knew what time he was coming. Wait. What did that mean 'not in residence'? Pepper wasn't on the _premises_? His frown deepened.

"Where did she go?"

"She left this evening to go to the Spa centre … but I'd have thought she should be done by now and back here. How odd."

Tony spoke hurriedly. "What time did she leave?"

"Around seven pm, sir."

Tony looked at his watch, feeling a little lost. It was almost half ten now.

"All right thank you, old girl. Incidentally, there is a very valuable casket waiting to be put into safe storage, I'll leave that in your capable hands and rely on your discretion."

Loretta nodded and excused herself. Tony went into the office and got on the phone with Chris Lawson, the hotel manager. He quickly explained the situation and asked him to check where Pepper was. Chris was an old friend, and he assured Tony that he would approach his Department Heads with the utmostdiscretion, and contact Tony the second he knew anything.

As soon as Chris hung up Tony immediately tried Pepper's phone, listening to it ringing. She didn't pick up. With a muttered curse, Tony hung up and paced around the desk.

During the next few minutes, whilstwaiting for Chris to call back, he tried her phone a handful more times but without luck. If she was in the spa, obviously she wouldn't have her phone next to her. Tony tried to smother the anxiety that rose within him, but experience guided him, and he knew, he just _knew –_

Don't panic Stark, don't panic –

The house phone rang and Tony immediately picked up, listening to the voice on the other end. His jaw became rigid and his expression taut. "Yes, I understand, thank you. I'll let you know as soon as there's anything to tell you.I appreciate your help in this Chris, I'll keep in touch." He hung up and clenched his fists by his side, looking out the large window. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be! Pepper was missing. _Missing._

Okay, panic.

He took out his phone out and connected with JARVIS.

"JARV, you getting this?"

"I have indeed apprehended the situation, sir. I will commence GPS tracking of Ms. Potts' phone, and am scanning the security video feeds for her last known location."

Tony pressed a button on the desk intercom, and tersely spoke into it. His ribcage felt like it was squeezing his heart and lungs from the inside, and he struggled for breath. A horrible feeling took up residence in the pit of his stomach – and the scotch was probably making it worse – and it was difficult for him to stay calm. Tony didn't stay calm, Tony shot-fired-aimed. He'd always left the thinking to others, namely Pepper.

Two minutes later the butler, Loretta and all the house staff that had been on the premises since early this morning were in the office. Loretta looked very concerned.

"Guys, Ms. Potts arrived here this morning, as you all well know, and in between seven pm and ten thirty this evening she appears to have gone missing. I want each and every one of you to tell me what she did today, where she went, who she spoke to, everything you know. You, go. When did you see her last?"

The dark-skinned plump maid in charge of the master bedrooms upstairs spoke haltingly, looking upset.

"I make the rooms this morning in preparation for your arrival, Mr. Stark. Madam had the luggage set up in the western suite, then she go out to the pool for sun. All afternoon, I only see her once."

"When? When did you see her?" Tony's voice was harsh, and he fought to restrain the angry growl forming in his throat.

"I see her just after three, I think. She come in from sailing."

"Sailing with who? Where?" Tony stepped closer to the woman, his stance unconsciously more aggressive, his body fraught with tension.

The woman shook her head. The butler,Mason, spoke up. "She went catamaran sailing around lunch-time, sir, I believe it was with the OysterSun team down by the beach. I will call them now and make enquiries as to who took her out."

"Thank you Mason, tell them I need to know everything. Now!"

Tony turned to the others, the five maids and three gardeners as well as Loretta. "What else can you tell me? Did she eat here, what did she do between three and seven? Come on, come on!" He snapped, glaring at them all.

Loretta told him that Pepper had eaten in the house, then said she'd go for a walk out into the beach to take photos. Tony's breathing halted for a second. _Photos_. She'd taken pictures of-

"Loretta, where's her camera?" His heart beat faster like a hummingbird behind the buzzing arc reactor in his chest.

"I think she hooked it up to her computer when she came back, to put the photos in there. She left her computer in the suite, sir." Tony quickly left the office and ran down the corridor. When he reached the hallway, he bounded up the staircase and was inside the master suite in no time. He immediately saw that her laptop was on the small desk next to the French doors, and that is was still turned on. His heart beating out a frantic tune, he quickly pressed a key on the keyboard and brought up the image folder with her latest photos.

Tony carried the laptop to the settee at the foot of the bed and sat down, skimming through the hundred plus photos. Most wereof the scenery, the house, the boats, the sea, a few with her in it, some with other people on a boat out to sea – the catamaran.

"Loretta!" He shouted to make his voice carry down to the ground floor. A few minutes later Loretta entered the suite, slightly out of breath.

"Where's Mason? How long is it going to take for him to get the information I require?"

"I'll send someone down to see how it's going, sir. Did … did you find anything, Mr. Stark?" Her soft voice was hesitant, and for a moment Tony took comfort that Loretta had a soft spot for Pepper, and she too was genuinely concerned; it was good to know that others cared about her and would lend their help without a thought.

"I can tell from these photos that she didn't go very far into the island. You said she went outside on the pool deck this morning, and then went down to the beach for sailing. Did she leave a message, or instructions before she left for her spa appointment, anything at all?"

"Well, from what I understand Ms. Potts kept herself busy today, but never wandered very far from the premises. The only time she must have truly put some distance between herself and the house is when she went sailing. She had lunch, went out for a walk and – oh."

"What? Loretta, _what_?" He all but shouted, fear twisting his gut.

Loretta hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly as she tried to recall something. "Yes I – yes, there was something, sir. When she returned from her walk. She looked … strange and slightly worried about something. I tried to know more about what had upset her, but she told me it was just stress, I – oh! This is all my fault!" Loretta exclaimed softly, and covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Tony got up and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, speaking soothingly. "What do you mean, Lore? What are you talking about?"

Loretta sniffed and looked up at him with teary eyes. "She said that she'd felt something in her back and the shoulders, so I suggested that she go for one of the massage treatment**s** up at the spa tonight, before your arrival. I'm the one who sent her out to the resort, I did this!" Loretta gulped down the tears, her face a mask of misery.

Tony comforted her. "You couldn't have known, old girl. It wasn't your fault. None of us could have-" he broke off and tightened his mouth. Loretta saw the fraught anxiety in his face, and felt all the more guiltyfor sending Pepper out, for not insisting that she be taken to the resort by car.

Mason knocked lightly and entered the suite, clearing his throat, a piece of paper in his hands. Tony approached him immediately with a fierce expression on his face. "Mason, what have you got?"

The old butler too looked worried. "I spoke with OysterSun Sailing and they gave me a number for the instructor who took Ms. Potts out today. I asked them to contact him immediately and he told them that he would come up here directly to talk to you, sir. He and a crew of three took Ms. Potts out on the catamaran for a couple of hours, offered her to lunch with them, which she declined and that was all there was to it."

"Okay. Okay, tell me the moment this guy arrives and show him into the office."

Tony tried to reassess the situation and to put all the pieces together to form a cohesive history of her day.

Chris Lawson called to tell him what he'd discovered. Pepper had booked an appointment for seven that evening in the spa, but she never made the appointment. He apologised profusely because no one at the resort had thought anything of it, certainly hadn't contacted the house to inquire as to why Ms. Potts wasn't coming. He'd sounded truly contrite when it became clear that Pepper went missing just before her appointment, because the hotel should have raised the alarm sooner. Tony understood that he'd gained an infinite well of personal favours from Lawson, who was extremely embarrassed by the incident with one of his wealthiest and most trusted clients and acquaintances.

Acid made its way up Tony's gut and burned his throat. Silently, he cursed himself to the nth ring of hell for insisting that she precede him in coming out here alone. Pepper hadn't wanted to leave without him, and told him that a day wouldn't matter all that much, that they could take the jet and travel together. He'd insisted, damn him, he always had to have things his way, always had to have the last word. He'd adamantly told her that he wanted her to begin the vacation straight away, and that he would join her that evening, because he wanted her to have fun as soon as possible.

They'd bickered about it until she gave in**.** He left the house to go in to the R&D Department where Matt Frackas awaited his help on a complex algorithm. He recalled very vividly their kiss goodbye, her hands on his jaw and caressing his hair, his gentle hold of her upper arms, sweeping his hands down to her wrists, something he'd been doing for years. It had been their las-

NO! No, he wasn't going to think that way, he _wouldn't_!

Loretta had gone to supervise the preparations of the kitchen staff and to make sure that his casket had been stored properly. Tony bitterly thought that he'd been right again to bring the Mark VI with him, it looked like he was going to need it.

He looked out the window into the dark night, feeling his heart break and his chest seize in pain at the thought of her goodness knew where, with whom, and in what state. His eyes filled with grief, Tony placed a fist by his head onto the glass, and he knew true fear once more. _Where are you Pepper?_

* * *

><p><strong>End of chapter two. Please R&amp;R!<strong>_  
><em>


	3. The trenches of the heart

**Author's Notes: At last here is chapter three, I hope I didn't make you wait too long! Just to clear up some confusion with the timeline of the fic so far: Chapter One would be present day, and we are slowly working our way backwards towards a pivotal point in the plot - essentially flashing backwards to the events that created what takes place in chapter one. The reason for this is to open the way for what comes later - and you all better hold on to your hats and/or fasten your seatbelts.**

**Also, recognition must go to the wonderful Missy Mayhem, my beta. She knows just how important her talent and patience are for the development process of this story. I don't usually do the whole answering each and every one of your readers thing, but I'm going to respond to some of the reviews I have received.**

**_Gigi_ -** I was ... staggered when I first glimpsed the sheer _size_ of your review, and instinctively knew it was criticism. I was excited for it. And then it turned out to be even better than mere criticism, it was actually c_onstructive_ criticism, and any writer worth their salt would know just how rare and yet how fundamental such a thing is. I have totally taken your advice to heart, because I feel like you've narrowed in on one of my fundamental faults as a writer - the overdoing it. You're completely right about that, and sometimes a reminder goes a long way so thank you for pointing in the right direction. :)

I'm sorry if you were disappointed by the lack of 'action' in the plot development, and hope this chapter makes up for it. It's not as long as I would ideally want it to be, but I think it's just right in terms of plot and to allow the readers to wrap their heads around a concept that to them is a complete surprise because it's not something already in their heads. I confess I tend to overlook that sometimes, the fact that I'm the only one knowing what goes on because it's all in my head, whereas others have only my words to guide them.

Thank you for the very kind compliments therein, and in general for the kind of review you have taken the time to leave. I appreciated this one more than any in a long time. I hope to rely on you to carry on reading this story!

_**Tbnasib3**_**_ -_ **I'm sorry to hear that you're confused. I will try to clear it up now. Picture Tony dying in chapter one. Then picture the vacation Tony and Pepper went on in chapter two, which actually takes place before the events of chapter one. Think of chapter one as 'present-day' and chapter two as 'before present-day' ... along with chapter three. :) Hope this helps!

**Finally, I wanted to thank all the readers who, whilst not leaving a review, have added this story to their favourites list, and the ones who keep coming back to read more. I appreciate it all the same. :)**

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><p><strong>Summary:<strong> _In which Asgard and Loki's family banish him to Earth as punishment for his crimes against humanity in The Avengers movie. And here Loki finds himself a purpose._

**3. Trenches of the heart**

.

.

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_The battle's just begun,_

_There's many lost, but tell me who has won,_

_The trench is dug within our hearts,_

_And mothers, children, brothers, sisters_

_Torn apart…_

_It puts my back up, _

_Puts my back up against wall._

_- __'Sunday, Bloody Sunday' by U2_

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** - ASGARD, SOME TIME AFTER THE DAYS OF TRIAL - **

The tunnelling vortex of colours and lights squeezed until the breath was stolen from his chest. He shut his eyes tightly, but the bitterness inside them still stung its way down his icy cheeks. Since he could barely breathe, he couldn't give voice to the tumult inside his soul, so this was the only outlet left.

Time inside the passage was peculiar. One moment one had the impression that this violent slide – the descent from the heavens into disgrace – would never end. And yet in other moments, it seemed as though it was all too brief. And sometimes he wasn't sure if he was still falling, or if he was floating, merely existing in a limbo, forever orbiting without sense or purpose, nothing inside except for the pain, the shame and the longing.

Then everything seemed to slow down - but only for a split second. He instinctively opened his eyes and cast his gaze to where he knew the place he'd called home to be, and glimpsed it for the last time.

The splendour and prosperous serenity that was Ásgarðr, home of the Æsir and the dynasty of Odin seemed very far away. The lights twinkled as though in farewell, and his heart ripped in two as the blackness engulfed him.

_"Loki Odinson, you are responsible for the deaths and the misery of many people in Miðgarðr! You have wrongly stolen the Tesseract and exposed all the realms to the threat and horrors of war, for your foolish alliance with a being you could not hope to control! You are unworthy of these peaceful realms! As punishment, I Odin All-faðr in the name of my father and his father before him, take from you your title … and cast you out! You are to spend your time in Miðgarðr and live amongst men as a man, until such a time comes when you have reflected upon your actions and will travel down the correct path once more."_

_Odin's flinty eye was cold and piercing as he decreed his punishment and banishment from Ásgarðr. The unyielding lines in his face and the firm set to his mouth – Loki was familiar with all of this._

_His … mother… stood silent next to Odin. She fully supported the All-faðr's decision, but her heart ached for her son. He had deeply disappointed and ashamed her, this Loki knew. He had shamed them all._

_He straightened his shoulders and gave Odin an impassive look, his stance as proud as that of a prince (the prince he had been, the prince he still considered himself). He told himself that the only pain in his heart was for having brought pain to his mother, that it was there for no other reason. He did not care for anyone else here._

_Odin placed the Gungnir on the platform … and Loki's insides burned. Instinctively, he sought out Thor's eyes, and held his gaze in the few brief seconds left to him here._

_Thor's blue eyes were stormy. His chin pointed towards his chest, and he looked as though he was bearing an immense weight. 'Brother', his eyes told him, 'oh, brother, that you should leave us thus.'_

_Loki bowed his head, his throat clogged with all he longed to say, but couldn't say._

_It was Thor upon whom Loki kept his eyes on as he was thrown backwards towards the paths travelling between the Nine Realms. He didn't know when he would see him or his mother again._

_And then he was torn away._

_Loki closed his eyes, let the vortex take him, and told himself that he didn't care. But the treacherous tears that ran down his face said differently._

* * *

><p>Loki clenched his fists around the steering wheel, staring resolutely in front of him. He remembered bits and pieces about doing this, driving these 'vehicles', from his time spent with Erik Selvig and the agent Barton.<p>

Though he'd hidden the traces left by his passage as best as he could, he did not underestimate the power of S.H.I.E.L.D., nor Nicholas Fury's sharp powers of observation, his meddlesome ways. Once that was taken care of, Loki had appropriated one of the vehicles for himself and was now speeding out of the land called 'New Mexico'.

He hadn't given it much thought at first, but his instincts pushed him to get far away from here, and now he had a destination: the city that had enthralled him with its vitality, that made him all the more hungry to see it lay wasted at his feet, the 'New York City'. That was where he was headed. To the very place on Earth he had last been in before returning to Ásgarðr.

Only to be cast out _back_ onto it after the Days of Trials were over, and his– and _the king_ had decided that he must be punished by returning to face what he did.

He may as well have spared them all the trouble, and just ran off after the lost battle with the Chitauri army, hiding in one of the many hovels in this realm until such a time came that he could re-emerge.

The night was dark as he sped out of the state, his only source of light provided by the headlights of the car, the only thing that truly penetrated the darkness ahead. But they too would not be sufficient.

What was he to do with it now, all this darkness in him, now that he had renounced his wicked ways and was trying to reform? In what way could the mass of agony eating his heart out from the inside be let out?

_"Your plan … it wasn't a great plan. Because we will be coming for you. Us, the Avengers. A couple of master assassins, your demi-god brother, a living legend, the hulk and me. If we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."_

_"None of the ways this is going to end is gonna have you coming out on top."_

Loki growled as he pushed the vehicle faster. The mortal man, Tony Stark, had been right. Loki had _always_ hated losing, thanks to the way he'd grown up, constantly in his brother's shadow. Well, he was tired of it. He didn't want to lose. For once, just once, Loki wanted to win.

And he'd find a way to play the game … but with only Stark as his opponent.

His mocking words –that aura of self-assurance, of power– Loki both envied it and wanted it. And jealousy, as history had proved time and again was a powerful motivator.

* * *

><p>Being unable to use magic had been part of the All-faðr's punishment. But it had been restricted so that no matter what he tried Loki would not be able to leave Earth. As for the rest … he was still in control. He could still use his tricks, his manipulative illusions.<p>

And so The Trickster altered his image in order to blend in with the fashions of men, and briefly looked himself over in the window's reflection. He was almost unrecognisable as Loki, God of Mischief.

Up ahead to his left wasStarkTower, now completely rebuilt and standing tall and firm as the day he'd almost ruled the Earth – a beacon in the skyline, a symbol of strength.

And Stark would be inside the tower, Loki just knew it.

He walked more quickly, gliding through the throng of people walking on the street, more than half a head taller than most men. Loki paid no attention to details like the people who were in front and around him, or the places of commerce he swept past, everything was all of little consequence.

Until –

Loki automatically slowed down as a new thought formed in his devious mind. The Trickster had come out to play … and it demanded more entertainment.

To get inside the Tower undetected or at least free of suspicion, he'd have to disguise himself further. Just a few feet away on his immediate left there was a 'Pizza' market, and as the plan unravelled in his head, Loki smiled, his eyes shining with an unholy light.

After spending time with the entranced Selvig and Barton, he'd learnt that Earth-people liked to feast on a food called '_pee-tz-ah_', and sometimes ordered it from the telecommunications devices they carried in their pockets, so that it would then be delivered on their door-step. Loki had sneered and turned up his nose at the peasant's custom.

Now it would come in handy.

Once, one of the men he had ensnared had declared their state of hunger, and the group had decided to 'order in some pizza'. A brief period of time later, a 'pizza boy' had requested entrance to their lair in order to deliver their order. And Loki had watched in angered shock (and consternation) as they allowed this puny specimen, this potential threat to _enter_ their lair happy-as-a-lark, and to walk out not a few minutes later, just as happy –and unscathed– with paper gold in his pocket.

This little situation was coming in handy now. Loki ducked in the alley next to the entrance and hid behind the large waste disposal containers. He could see through the window into the market as people went about their business, each in their own stations, like busy little ants.

When he saw the ugly clothing of one sullen-looking teenage boy, Loki smiled once more, and pounced at the opportune moment.

He didn't _harm_ the boy per se. He merely confused him enough to emulate his uniform and take the boxes out of his hands, where the pizzas were held. He pulled the ridiculous striped hat down low over his forehead, shadowing the upper part of his features.

The aromas wafting from the boxes innocently made their way to his nose and Loki's stomach unexpectedly rumbled. Loki frowned and stopped so suddenly he almost dropped his free-ticket insideStarkTower.

For a moment, he could not fathom why he should feel so hungry and-

Wait.

_He was hungry_?

Loki mentally scoffed at the mere idea. He was a Frost Giant, and the God of Mischief to boot; he didn't _get_ hungry.

This must be the handiwork of Odin. Loki straightened his spine and carried on walking once more, resolutely ignoring what his now mortal body was telling him.

* * *

><p>Once he reached Stark's Tower, as Loki had envisioned it was jokingly easy to get inside. As soon as these people saw the objects he carried in his hands, they became a right friendly bunch, and suspicion that he could possibly be their enemy was the furthest possibility on their minds.<p>

All he had to do was charm the woman in the large hallway to allow him to go all the way up to Stark's chambers, insisting that the man himself had placed the order and that he had asked it delivered to his door, or no tips. The woman had given him a small understanding smile and waved him on. And it was done.

The up-down closet took him all the way to the top of the Tower, where he knew Stark's chambers to be. Loki stepped out, looking at the familiar space. He searched the large open space but Stark was nowhere in sight. Loki waited, but patience had not been his friend of late.

When it was clear that there was no one inside these chambers, Loki sulked and started heading back to the up-down closet, already planning his next move-

And that's when _she_ stepped out from another chamber.

Loki froze, eyes widening in surprise.

The woman, too, looked at him in surprise and said nothing for a moment. There was a small puzzled frown on her face as she regarded him. Loki's heart beat faster.

And then she spoke.

"Are you here to deliver those?" She looked meaningfully down at the flat containers in Loki's hands. Loki gazed down at them and then looked back at her. His face smoothed and a subservient smile plastered insincerely onto his face. "Indeed. I was asked to deliver them directly up here. You'd almost missed me though, madam. Seeing no one here, I was just on my way back downstairs."

The woman smiled and stepped towards him, practically emanating friendly vibes. Loki felt slight wariness as she came closer, never losing the polite smile on his face. He was a great showman, always had been.

When she was within reach she extended her hands, motioning him to give her the pizza boxes. He smiled charmingly at her and did just that, showing his white teeth.

The woman took them and moved away from him, putting them down onto a desk. Loki quietly observed her with an impassive look. She bent to rummage inside a bag and then walked back to him. "What will it be?" The woman looked at him questioningly. Loki was lost for a moment; he hadn't given thought to this next part, merely concentrating on gaining access to Stark's building.

He quickly said the first number that came to mind. "Twenty-seven."

Three times the Nine Realms. That was the size of some of the worlds he had seen whilst in exile when the Æsir had believed him dead.

The woman handed him the paper gold and thanked him, smiling sweetly. Loki looked at her a little uncertainly. The Æsir never thanked their servants, they didn't even look at them all that much. Certainly not out in the public eye, they merely contented themselves in taking their services and their loyalty for granted. And if their services included bedding them whenever they pleased that was even better.

But the woman had already turned away from him, not expecting anything else. Suddenly he stumbled and went sprawling against the furniture, making a veritable racket.

"Oh my goodness! Are you all right?"

The woman had returned and kneeled down next to him, peering worriedly into his eyes. The look on her face couldn't be mistaken for anything but genuine concern. His throat ran dry and he gulped. "Yes I … I must have not been looking where I was going again. I believe I am mostly unhurt. Just the embarrassment from the fall."

She chuckled lightly and helped him stand up. Loki leaned rather more heavily than necessary on her, and couldn't fight the small frisson of delight than ran through him at the immediate contact.

Touching people had always been an issue for him. His childhood and subsequent years into manhood were partly to blame. If Thor didn't beat him in every game he could think of, he would use his fists and considerably more generous strength on his little brother in a little game of wrestling. That was not to say that Thor had ever consciously bullied Loki. That would require an awareness and sensibility that Thor completely lacked.

Apart from the affectionate hugs and kisses from his mother, Loki had never truly gotten physical contact from anyone. When he'd grown older, and wiser, maturing into his role of prince of Ásgarðr, he had known not to expect affection any more, had expected to be shunned to a dark corner to watch Thor's glory … to watch as Thor stood bathed in a light he, Loki, would never know. But he had also come to expect that physical contact entailed his having visions of the person he touched. When Loki touched someone he'd see flashes of past moments lived by that person, and though it was always brief, Loki had at first avoided it completely because being a young princeling who still innocently believed in propriety and in the goodness of people, it made him uncomfortable to be privy to some of their darkest secrets … but then he had learnt to use it to his advantage.

Now as her skin –her soft palm– touched his wrist, Loki had visions of her. They were merely bright flashes that lasted less than a second each, but he could see it all clearly and make sense of it.

The flashes told him that she'd known Tony Stark for a very long time. She somehow worked for him. By the looks of it as the years passed she flickered from being valet, to governess, to messenger and–

_Oh, what's **this**_? Loki thought delightedly as entirely different images flashed in his eyes.

She and Tony Stark were dancing and speaking to each other in low voices; they looked very intimate. And then they were on top of a building, suspended above the streets much like the King's Palace in Ásgarðr … and Stark kissed her.

The flashing visions now clearly showed that their relationship had evolved; they were having a love affair!

The woman helped him to a reclining settee and he moved slowly so as not to lose the contact.

But perhaps he really should have let go, because what came next upset him all over and made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Loki was slightly breathless as this vision showed her and Stark reclining on a bed, naked, their limbs entwined. Tony held himself above her, unspeakable passion on his face as their hips worked rhythmically. Her moans echoed in the air whilst he whispered something in her ear. "Oh God, Pepper…"

A strange yearning burrowed deep in Loki's gut.

The woman snatched her hand away and rushed somewhere out of his sight.

For a second more, Loki held himself immersed in the images, particularly that last one, the strongest and brightest of them – probably because it was a flash of something that had occurred very recently. Loki's eyes widened and he fought the grin that wanted to stretch on his face, keeping up with the farce that he was feeling poorly.

_She was Stark's lover._

Then a darker (and positively delicious) thought bloomed in his mind.

This woman, this … 'Pepper'…? Whatever her name was, she had Stark heart, body and soul.

What did that mean then if _Loki_ had _her_?

This was rich. This was wonderfully rich! A seed was planted in his mind, and this new information gave it nourishment until it grew into a seedling. Tony Stark/Iron Man's beloved … in the hands of the god he'd dared to challenge.

The Trickster's smile was sinister as his insides purred with approval.

* * *

><p>Loki left the Tower quickly and took to wandering through the city streets. Up until a few hours ago he hadn't known what he'd do with himself now that he was back on Earth, alone and sans powerful allies – and with a list of enemies that was not inconsiderable. The punishment entailed his living amongst men, as a man.<p>

Which meant that he would be forced to find living accommodations, and a means with which to survive. He, a prince and God of Mischief, a Frost Giant … would be forced to find employment.

His mouth tasted bitter as Loki thought upon this galling situation. He was a _prince_, destined to rule a kingdom, to sit on a throne.

But then his brother had been through the same thing, only worse because Odin had also taken away Thor's powers when he'd banished him to the Earth. Loki was in a better position than his brother had been because he still had his powers, though they were no longer unlimited.

He realised that he'd made his way into a small park, and sat down onto a bench, carefully considering his situation. So far he was stuck in this realm, no longer a prince. He would have to _live_ as men lived here, working to accomplish anything they wanted in life, whether that was power, status or freedom.

Unless Loki found himself some powerful allies, who would support his cause and-

No.

He couldn't go there again. The Days of Trial had changed him, if only a little. He now knew that although his life had practically been built on a lie, not all of it was falsehood. The Lady Frigga considered Loki to be her son just as much as Thor was. And Thor himself still regarded him as his brother, he always had. Loki purposefully pushed thoughts of Odin out of his mind, choosing instead to focus on his mother and brother, the only good things he had. Their love for him was real; it had never been a lie.

After his return, Odin had tried to make Loki understand that enslaving Earth just to spite him and get back at him was wrong, wrong in the truest sense of the word. Thor had whole-heartedly supported this; but of course he would, after all his lady friend lived here and Thor was exceedingly fond of her. Of course he would support his father's views that Earth was to be protected and not enslaved.

Loki had mostly come to terms with this. Seeing the renewed understanding and closeness between Thor and Odin … he'd felt bitter and betrayed all over again. But then he'd understood.

His mother had enlightened him. No matter how much Odin and Thor deluded themselves, Loki's final acquiescence and acceptance of what would be his punishment had been brought about by the Lady Frigga. With her gentle ways and her strong, devoted love she had managed to calm the beast in his heart, and Loki had returned to reason again. He didn't want to hurt his mother, he truly didn't. Any hurt he had caused her made him regret his actions, made him ashamed. But she'd been his strength and ultimately the pivotal figure who'd turned his mind away from the darkness that had infected it like a virus.

But unfortunately it hadn't been enough to give him peace.

Loki wondered, not for the first time, whether he had ever at any moment in his life known true peace. The Lady Frigga had spoken to him at length of what it was to feel it and live it daily … but he had not fully understood it, not in the bottom of his heart. This too he regretted, because he'd lied to her. He'd only done it to ease her worries, but still felt guilty.

And now look at the predicament he faced. This experience would serve to humble him; that was Odin's intention since the beginning, Loki knew this.

The only good that had come of his recent exploits in this realm was the things he had learned about what it was to live here, what one had to do if he wanted a certain something. Everything he had learned would come in very useful in the next few months.

He had better put all his limited knowledge to good use straight away, if he was to survive.

Loki shivered as the cooler evening air began setting in. He'd sat on the bench nearly all day thinking about how he'd come to this. That wouldn't do.

His body heartily agreed. He needed sustenance and shelter. Loki rose from the bench, grimacing at the way his stiff muscles protested after being still for so long. He hated this. He hated mortality with a strong passion. And, he suspected, he would probably hate mortals in equal measure.

He left the park and set out onto the streets again.

Not long after Loki found himself inside one of the many dining halls that lined the streets of the city. He was thankful for this because at least he was warm, even if he probably couldn't-

Wait a moment.

Just because he did not possess the paper gold that mortals loved so much, in order to acquire a decent meal, it didn't mean that he couldn't_ make_ some. He was tired and hungry; this physical state had altered his ability to think. He'd better set this right.

He took a hold of some of the paper napkins –horrid stuff- in the table dispenser, and after making sure no one would see him, he quietly changed their appearance. Now he was innocently holding a bunch of 'notes' as Selvig had called them. Money. He had money now.

And 'lo, he looked down at his work and saw that it was good.

With a wolfish grin he signalled one of the waitresses over, and began ordering food.

Perhaps everything's not lost, and this seemed to be a very promising start. And for a brief moment, Loki felt a rush of excitement that he could be on his way already to turn things around. He'd sunk low. But now he was rising again.

A small child made his way to Loki's table. He stood there looking small and irritating as he stared at Loki, who at first tried to ignore him, and then, fed up of consuming his meal under such an unnerving watchful stare, he turned to the child and spoke to him. "

"What are you looking at?"

The child immediately sneered.

He _sneered_ at Loki! This tiny human vessel of flesh and blood _dared_ to-

Loki ground his teeth together.

"Why do you eat so much food? Are you fat?"

Loki stared at the boy. He reached out and took hold of his neck and began _squeezing_, he would choke the life out of this insignificant-

Loki grimly shook the tempting vision out of his head, knowing that he couldn't give in.

"Are you fat? Are you fat?"

Loki showed the child his teeth. The little _runt._

"Does my body appear to have superfluous weight?"

The child stopped the taunting, momentarily confused. "What's that mean?"

Loki smirked down at the poisonous dwarf, feeling comfortable in his princely skin. "Do you not understand language, child of man?"

The boy's lower lip jutted out. "Yeah I do! Why do you call me child of man? Are you a tourist? Cuz my mom said that tourists talk funny, and loudly, and they don't understand what it is to be American. Are you a tourist then? I thought I smelled something nasty."

Loki remained unfazed. "Yes, and what an insolent race you are. Why don't you go play in the mud, like any decent peasant urchin would do? Leave distinguished gentlemen to their important business." His tone was imperious and showed that he clearly expected his orders to be followed.

The boy's eyes widened. Not knowing any other way to defend himself and/or retaliate in a manner that would be convincing and personally satisfying, the boy glared at him , drew his foot back and kicked Loki's leg. Hard.

"Aaarghhh!" Loki immediately moved his hands to touch his abused leg, spilling his drink onto the floor in the process, where the glass shattered loudly in the sudden silence.

"Ha-ha!" The suicidal child stuck out his tongue at Loki and with a parting jeer ran off … only to be intercepted by a woman who glared at him darkly. Loki watched, bemused, as the woman grabbed the boy's arm and forcefully turned him the way he'd come. She marched the child right towards Loki, who coldly stared at their approach.

"Bobby, apologise to this man right now!"

The child looked at his mother in perfect sullen rebelliousness.

"No!"

"Right now Bobby! You're in big trouble young man!"

The child became petulant. "But mom, I don't wanna! He was mean and he said nasty things to me! I didn't do anything!"

"Why did you come bother him in the first place! Now do it! Say you're sorry!"

Bobby glared dirtily at Loki, who still looked at them impassively, and mumbled his apology.

The woman then turned expectantly towards Loki and apologised for her son's horrid behaviour.

She declared that the least she could do was to pay for his meal, and proceeded to do just that. Loki was at war with himself, ever so slightly. His chivalrous upbringing dictated that he never allow a woman to provide for him, it was he who was meant to provide, if anything. And yet his logic told him that this was probably a good thing. Maybe if he allowed her to get what she wanted –at least he wouldn't have to use his fake money- she would take her horrid offspring and leave Loki in peace.

But sadly that was not to be. The second the woman returned, she sat herself and her son at Loki's table. He watched them disbelievingly, wanting nothing more than for them to _leave._ She proceeded to converse with Loki in a gay manner, and Loki learned that once she opened her mouth, she never shut it. So that's where the puny rat had got it from; Loki wasn't surprised.

Feeling just about fed up and more than ready to leave this accursed place and its even worse company, Loki politely thanked her and was just about to leave when she asked him if he had any plans.

Loki stared at her, wondering if he should feel both threatened by the fact that she seemed to know he was up to something, and vexed that he couldn't part company with these rude mortals.

"I don't have any plans."

The woman grinned at him, clearly pleased at this response. Loki silently wondered if she was mad.

"In that case, since you're new in town and don't know much of the place or anyone, Bobby and I were just on our way to the movies. Would you like to accompany us?"

Loki stared at her, dumbfounded. He spoke the thing that stood out the most in his mind.

"Do you think it wise to invite a stranger you know nothing about to spend more time with you and your young son? Have neither of you any sense of self-preservation?" Are you mad, woman?

These people were ludicrous.

The woman, named Sam, blinked at Loki. "Are you planning to harm either me or my son, or hold us captive somewhere?"

Loki looked around himself in confusion.

"No. Why would I want to hold you or your son captive?"

"Well even if you did, wouldn't do you any good because you couldn't ask for a ransom!" She laughed. "Look we have a spare ticket because my friend bailed on us, so you might as well take it, for your trouble. And Bobby and I would love to have your company for a little more, wouldn't we?" Sam beamed at her son. He and Loki both looked at her, denial on both their faces.

Loki saw the boy's incensed look, and smirked.

"Thank you madam, I'd be delighted to join you both." And then he laughed in triumph at the boy's outraged expression.

* * *

><p>As Loki followed Samantha and her son out of the movie theatre, he reflected that mortals probably spent more time thinking up ways to amuse themselves than they did anything else.<p>

But at least something _very_ good had come out of this unexpected and not entirely welcome turn of events; Sam had offered him a room in her house he could rent. So now he also had a roof over his head. Loki knew that he would have to give her money for the room she had graciously agreed to give him, and he did not have an employment that made him money as of yet. He didn't feel all that comfortable in slipping her fake money, after the kindness she'd bestowed on him.

Sam had merely told him that he could begin to look for a job immediately, and stay at her house, adding that he would still be her tenant and that he could begin paying her when he was successfully employed.

As this was probably the only (honourable) alternative Loki could find right now, he thought it best to accept.

Sam showed him around her house –it was small but clean-, whereas Bobby went to hide himself in his room, devastated beyond comprehension that the man he'd derided and then loathed upon sight now lived inside his house.

Loki followed her inside the guest room, and observed as she showed him the amenities. He would have his own bathing room thankfully, and though the chamber was tiny, the bed itself was neat and tidy. His body was so tired by now that he'd sleep just about anywhere.

She bid him goodnight, and he sighed in relief as he closed the door. Finally, finally he was alone with his thoughts, and could actually hear himself think.

He sat on the edge of the bed –it wasn't luxurious like the ones he'd grown up with, but it would do for now- removed his shoes, and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Now that he was alone again, he took stock of the situation. He now had shelter, but needed money to pay for it; tomorrow he would begin his search, this 'hunting' for a job Samantha had spoken of, in order to make the money he needed to pay her. Hopefully he could keep some money to himself, because it was the only useful way to trade in this realm, so vital for his survival.

He thought of the money that Stark's woman had given him earlier. He hadn't wanted to give it away at the diner, resolving to make fake money to pay for his meal instead. He eyes darkened despite the small smile that stretched on his face; pizza markets would be a passably acceptable place to start. It would be ideal for him to be in a place that Stark frequented, so that he could observe his habits. Loki fully intended to see the red-haired woman again. He had plans for her.

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

_NOTES: The spellings used in this chapter are Old Norse. Their English counterparts are listed below:_

_Ásgarðr – Asgard_

_Æsir – the deities of Asgard, including Odin and his family._

_All-faðr – (The) All-Father_

_Miðgarðr – Midgard, Earth_

_Gungnir – Odin's Staff_

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><p><strong>End of chapter three. R&amp;R!<strong>

**AN - **if you're confused as to the timeline of the events that have happened so far, go to the top of the page to my first Author's Note, where everything is better explained.

Also. Please Review. It makes my days brighter. And if my days are brighter, my mood is better, which leads to more frequent bouts of prolific writing. In other words faster updates for you guys.

Appreciate it. :)


	4. A tale of sound and fury

**AN:**Okay, so it's been far too long since my last update, and I am very sorry for it; you gotta be patient with me. Thank you for continued readership and support, for leaving reviews and favouring this story - I love you all back! :)

This is the actual chapter itself - for those who have already read chapter four, read it again because that was just a snippet!

Look for the next chapter in the next few days!

Once again, I wanted to thanks those who left reviews, I was very happy that you did. And Gigi, it's nice to see that you're still here reading this fic! ;)

As for Abbey Lee: I'm not going to give too much away, but you can set your mind at ease, and carry on reading this story because the ending will not be what you expect! Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

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><p><strong>*Chapter four: A tale of sound and fury*<strong>

.

.

.

_Running out of alibi_

_On the second of May_

_Reminds me of the summertime_

_On this winter day _

_Every step we take that's synchronized_

_Reminds me of the second time_

_That I followed you home_

_As you're walking away_

_Reminds me that it's killing time_

_On this fateful day_

_See you at the bitter end_

_From the time we intercepted_

_Feels a lot like suicide_

_Arouse and see you're mine_

_See you at the bitter end_

- '_The bitter end' by Placebo_

* * *

><p>Trent Mason packed up his stuff that evening and left the Stark Enterprises New York Division building at exactly ten minutes past eight. It was a balmy night and the streets were teeming with people out to have a good time.<p>

He easily navigated the traffic downtown and parked close to his favourite lounge on 17th Street, slapped the bouncer's shoulder in greeting and then headed towards the bar. He sank onto the stool and ordered his usual. The lounge was pretty much packed already, and he waved to a few people, all regulars he saw every week. Gulping his drink felt great after the stressful day he'd had at the office. Things had been pretty hectic in recent months at Stark Enterprises, and being one of three of the CEO's personal assistants ensured that he was always on his toes.

Trent had asked his fellow colleagues, the other two PAs, if they would join him for a couple of drinks after work, but none could accept. He wished he could talk to someone, but his best pal was out of town, and even his girlfriend wasn't available.

Trent felt conflicted. He looked down at his drink pensively. He'd worked hard to get to where he was now, years of studying and then years of working in one company and then another, wondering when his break would come – until finally it landed right onto his lap. As soon as he'd heard that Stark Industries was in the process of changing management with the newly appointed Pepper Potts rising to take up the CEO spot, he'd thought he'd try his luck, and applied for an interview as PA. Three weeks later, he and two very friendly ladies who were smart and assertive made up the base to the helm directing the company. Miss Potts ran everything smoothly, with class and a quietly understated power that ensured good things to come.

He wondered if, had his parents and little brother been alive, they would have been proud of what he had achieved. He'd put all his efforts and energy into his career, but had very little to show for these years, except for an immaculate and well-rounded CV.

His thoughts wandered to Kelly, the girl he had been dating for the past two years, and who he was pretty much certain that he was in love with.

Thus his conflicted feelings.

He and Kelly had been going steady for a while, and though they had not explicitly spoken of it, their commitment to each other was solid. Except that Kelly had been offered a dream job, THE dream job she had been working hard to get all her life. And it involved her moving out ofNew York City. ToSidney,Australia.

Trent was very happy working under Miss Potts, and he'd made friends at the office too. But he didn't know what to do. Kelly had made it clear that she too didn't know what would be the best decision to make, because she couldn't make up her mind about going. Trent didn't want to hold her back since she had dreamed of this all her life, but neither did he think they were ready for a long-distance relationship. So what should he do? Let Kelly go and support her dream, the way she'd supported his, and hope things worked? Or leave everything he had built for himself here and follow her to the other side of the world, where they could be together but he had no idea about where to start looking for a job?

He needed time to think about this, and since she would be working till late tonight, he'd made a detour to the bar. Maybe he'd find the answers in the bottom of a pint glass…

Then his phone rang and Trent smiled as he saw the caller ID.

He pushed the 'talk' button and grinned as he spoke. "Hey Lukas, how's it going?"

* * *

><p>'Lukas' quickly spoke into his phone. "Yes that would be nice. Where are you? 17th Street…blue sign – ohh, yes! I know which one you mean. I'll be there shortly."<p>

He hung up and walked over to the mirror opposite to his bed. He checked to see if his appearance was sharp and neat, then quickly stepped out of the house. Bobby - the annoying child he should have squashed at least a dozen times under his boot - was watching him leave the house from his bedroom window, he knew, but didn't bother turning around.

He ducked into the darkened alley and vanished, only to reappear a small wayaway from the location. He quickly crossed the street and easily side-stepped the bouncer, gaining entry to the bar. His eyes glittered as he spotted his friend, and had anybody seenhis smile they might have noticed it was disturbingly sinister.

They greeted each other and the taller man sat down on a stool next toTrent, ordering his own drink. They chatted amiably for a while, but Lukas was a great observer, and he could tell that something was bothering the man.

"So what troubles you, my friend?"

Trentglanced up at one of the bar screens and sighed deeply. "Kelly finally got the promotion she's been waiting for. And if she accepts, she'll have to go toAustralia." His tone was dejected.

Then he looked at his friend. "I just don't know what to do, y'know? I can't let her not take this job just because I don't want us to be apart … but if she went … I mean, I too worked hard to get to where I am now, y'know, it wasn't easy to get this job at Stark Enterprises. I'm just so torn."

His companion patted his arm sympathetically, (but his smile was insincere.)

"I can understand that you're in quite the predicament, my friend, but it isn't as bad as it all seems. You simply have to stop and think for a moment. What are your priorities? Is it your career, or to be with your girlfriend, no matter where that takes you? Once you've figured that out, making a choice will be straight-forward."

Trent nodded somberly. "Wow. Yeah, you're absolutely right." He gulped down more alcohol with a grimace. "I just wish I knew what the right thing was."

Lukas squeezed his shoulder. "Do you want to hear what I really think?"

Trent blinked at him as Lukas leaned closer to him. "Of course."

Lukas grinned. His voice was slippery smooth and warm as oil, persuasive and utterly convincing. "If I had a woman like Kelly by my side, devoted to me as she is to you, for whom I felt such a degree of emotion, I would not let her get away for anything in the world. Even if that meant letting go of something I had worked hard to achieve."

Trent was silent for a while, pondering this new point of view. It made sense; he'd gotten where he was through skill and tenacity, but Kelly was one of a kind.

He smiled at Lukas and patted his back appreciatively, feeling powerful relief that now everything was worked out. "Thanks man. You don't know how much this means to me. I guess now all that's left to do is tell Kelly the good news, and then resign from Stark Enterprises."

Lukas smiled back and Trent ordered them another round. They raised their glasses to each other. "To prosperity and following your heart!" said Trent.

Lukas' smile was large, all white gleaming teeth and unreadable eyes. "To new beginnings, and achieving what you want. To hard work, and the rewards that come as fruit of one's labour."

They both downed their drinks, and since Trent was feeling so merry, they ordered another round. And then another. And another.

When they exited the bar it was well after eleven that night. Trent was grinning and feeling the drunken man's euphoria, and Lukas too was all smiles, though his gait was measured and graceful despite the large amounts of alcohol he had consumed.

"Lukas my man, this will be a night to remember!" Trent searched drunkenly in his pockets for his phone, wanting to take a picture of both him and his friend, but came up empty.

He stopped walking, and immediately swayed lightly on the spot, frowning. "Oh hell! I think I left my phone in there. I better go back."

His companion stepped forward to go after him, but at that precise moment a couple of mean-faced guys blockedTrent's path, menacing in their intent.

"That's a mighty fine suit you're wearing. Bet it cost an eye, too. Give us your fucking wallet, asshole!"

Trent blinked and stepped away from them, alarmed. One of the thugs grabbed his arms and stopped him. He tried shaking them off, but to no avail. "Hey, let me go!"

"Not until you give us your wallet motherfucker! And that nice wristwatch, too. Now LOSE IT!"

Trent struggled and craned his head back. "Lukas! HELP!" he shouted.

Lukas hesitated, weighing his options. He sighed and stepped backwards until he blended in with the shadows, becoming invisible. He watched the scene unfolding, and stood his ground.

"HEY! Get off'amme! Lukas! LUKAS! Help me!"

The thugs pummelled Trent and he doubled over, coughing and desperately gasping for breath, unable to defend himself under the barrage of haymakers and power kicks delivered to his sides and stomach.

"I said give us your money BITCH!"

Trent wheezed and groaned in pain as he staggered off his feet and curled up on the cold wet ground, trying to protect himself as much as he could.

"Dude grab his wallet!" One of the thugs ripped his wallet out of his pants, and the other snagged his wristwatch, ferocious in their attacks as they continued pummelling him. By now Trent had lost consciousness and lay still. There were plenty of nasty cuts on his head and his face leaked with rivulets of blood and swelled from all the punches, distorting his features.

Lukas watched on, and smirked in amusement. They'd practically beaten him to a pulp.

Having finished taking Trent's valuables, the two guys straightened and stared down at him for a moment. "Come on let's get outta here, man!" They sniggered, one of them gaveTrenta last kick for good measure, and ran towards the alley's exit, disappearing out of sight.

Lukas stepped out of the shadows and stared down at the pitiful heap that was Trent. He walked towards him and kneeled next to him, looking him over with curiosity. His voice was low and he spoke steadily, as this was none of his concern. "Oh, what a shame. You really should learn how to defend yourself, my man. They practically wiped the floor with you." Lukas chuckled.

"Hmm. And it had been such a good night, too. I hadn't expected such entertainment, but then you people have a way of being surprising that's actually quite refreshing."

Lukas extended his hand and lightly prodded Trent's shoulder, as though poking a curious insect that had gone belly-up, head tilted slightly to the side, lips pursed in thought.

"Then again …" And now Lukas spoke more to himself, knowing that Trent couldn't hear him or even feel his presence. "Perhaps this unexpectedend to the evening may just work in my favour. Yes!"

Lukas' eyes gleamed as he considered the situation. "You know Trent, I have been very busy myself as of late, trying to reach a personal goal that is particularly close to my heart. And you, my friend, may have just given me gaining grounds the likes of which you cannot even fathom!"

_This was perfect_, Lukas thought. "You see, it all works fantastically well. Let's face it, you're not exactly fit to get up and stagger home, never mind plan your future at Stark Enterprises and your life with your chit of a woman. It seems like such a waste, not taking advantage of this."

Lukas' voice lowered as he spoke to himself, formulating a plan. "Yes, yes…this is most advantageous. And after all, it's not as if it is my fault, what happened to you; I had nothing to do with your assault. But then … ha! People don't need to know you're _you_, do they?"

Lukas touched his fingertips to Trent's beaten up face. The features, already irregular and swollen from the multiple traumas, shifted and changed entirely. Then the colour of Trent's hair changed, and so on, until his own body looked like that of another's, shorter and more lean. He no longer looked like Trent Mason.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Lukas removed his hand from the man's flesh and wiped his bloodied fingers fastidiously on the guy's jacket. He stood up and contemplated the male before him with satisfaction.

"Now for the finishing touches…" Lukas grabbed a hold of the man's arm, twisted round, and both vanished.

When he reappeared, Lukas was standing in the cover of some trees, a hospital entrance in front of him. He dumpedTrent's body where the streetlights bathed him in their orange glow, and then vanished out of sight.

He reappeared in front of Rumors, but his own appearance had morphed.

He now looked exactly like Trent Mason. With a sure smirk, he entered the bar again, and when he came out, he was clutching Trent's phone in his hand. He scrolled through contacts until he reached the one he wanted. With a gleeful smile, he called Trent's girlfriend, and broke up with her, telling her that she could go on to Sydney without him. He supposed he'd been a little brutal in the things he'd said, things he'd felt would be justified because there was no other way to make the woman high-tail it out the country with a broken heart… but he didn't really care. When he was done, he barked out a triumphant laugh and then jauntily made his way back to Samantha's house. No one would never be any the wiser that Trent had actually been assaulted and was now probably lying in some hospital bed fighting for his life, whilst looking like another man entirely.

As for Lukas, he now looked exactly like Trent Mason, and he planned to take over his life as well.

Beginning with Trent's job at Stark Enterprises.

Lukas-now-Trent felt something expand within his chest. Thanks to this unforeseen stroke of luck, Lukas now had access to the comings and goings of Tony Stark and his Pepper Potts, up-close and personal. Tomorrow he would leave Samantha's house for good and go live inTrent's habitation. And he would go to Stark Enterprises to work for Pepper Potts, and bide his time.

There were daggers in his smile.

* * *

><p>Pepper walked briskly towards her office and greeted Evangeline and Sarah, who both picked up their planners and followed her inside. They started going through the day's activities, comparing schedules to make sure at the last minute that no changes had been made. There were meetings with the R&amp;D department, Human Resources and even with the PR, and all of them had to be precisely carried out, because today's schedule would be a tight one.<p>

Pepper could already feel a headache coming on.

Her assistants adjourned to their office quietly to prep the necessary folders for each meeting.

Pepper had some very important e-mails that she had to answer in person, so she got to it, and by the time she was finished, her neck and shoulders felt cramped; which coupled with the headache, was a very bad sign indeed. She pressed down on the mounting frustration inside her. Of all days, this would be the worst one for her to become incapacitated by a migraine.

She buzzed Trent on the intercom and asked him to bring her some ibuprofen. Then she paused for a few minutes, trying to relax her stiff muscles, and doing the neck exercises her chiropractor had recommended. Her computer bleeped softly. Pepper looked at the screen where a small window had popped open. It was the StarkComms system, a way for employees to message each other via their company's network. Sarah was telling her that Harper's Bazaar wanted to do a piece on Pepper as one of the most successful businesswomen of her age. Pepper told her to accept and to book it no earlier than three months from now.

Trent entered the office, carrying her painkillers and a cup of water. Pepper took them and smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you very much,Trent. Did you finish the quarterly revenue reports? The Board of Directors' meeting is next week, we need them stat."

Trent smiled and assured her that they would be finished and assembled by the end of the day.

He looked at her solicitously.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. Potts?"

Pepper was already busying herself with phone calls, so she politely dismissed him.

Trent roamed the halls, ran errands, made phone calls, answered e-mails, and even chatted for a while with some colleagues. And he studied each and every single little detail in Pepper's life at work, even the most inconsequential.

She ran like clockwork.

She was precise, efficient, smoothly commanding and had a charm, an intelligence and a charisma all her own that, coupled with her beauty and the graceful way she conducted herself, was very appealing to a great numberof men. But everyone knew by now that she was most definitely off-limits, as the boss himself had claimed her long ago.

Trent watched her (discreetly of course) most keenly, and there were many things he took note of, like for example the way her voice and tone altered in different circumstances, depending on who she spoke to. If it was an employee, it was direct, courteous and firm. If it was a business partner, it was even more courteous and charming – in fact at times she was utterly beguiling. The press, the public, other business magnates, especially those of the male variety – she dazzled them all. Everyone wanted a piece of her these days. But she wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed the limelight and didn't use it more than was necessary, Trent noticed. He found all this pleasing.

She would be a challenge to him, no doubt.

And _Loki_ had always enjoyed a challenge.

Weeks passed with no one the wiser that someone else had taken over Trent's body and position at the company. Loki has always been a consummate actor, playing each role with perfidious flair.

And besides, these mortals, these men … what hope could they ever have against him?

But Earth was teaching him things still, and Loki did not forget that the Avengers had beaten him so utterly the last time he had gone up against them. He must take very, very great care not to alert them that he may be up to anything.

Loki didn't know if Thor had already contacted his Midgardian comrades as to his presence back on their world, but he assumed that if this had happened, Loki would have noticed being under surveillance already.

Anger simmered in his blood, dancing under his skin, wanting to burst out through his fingertips.

He hadn't forgotten Nicholas Fury, either.

But all things in good time.

* * *

><p>That night he was the last of the personal assistants to the CEO to work late, along with the top lady herself. Having dismissedTrent's paramour, she had scampered away to that far away nation, and so he was completely free to do and go – and plot – as he pleased.<p>

Typing away at the computer before him,Trent discreetly raised his head and spied her through the communicating open door inside her office. From what he'd seen, Pepper Potts never shied away from her work, in fact she seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. He'd found her to be a driven and dedicated individual.

Tonight she drew his gaze more than usual, and like a magnet his eyes strayed to her again and again. Her neat up-do had been discarded a while ago, and as the late afternoon drew into evening, her formal attire was shed bit by bit. Now she was sitting at her desk, working on projects and plans and meetings. Her jacket rested on the back of her chair and her arms were bare. Her long fiery red hair was still as flawless as it had been this morning on her arrival to the building. Her hands were tireless and constantly in motion. They were small, feminine and utterly capable.

Trent watched her intently.

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as she brought her handset closer, speaking quietly. Her voice was very soothing. It had a quality to it that made Trent treacherously think of his mother, the lady Frigga. He didn't know what possible similarities there could be between such two women, though: one, a Queen and Lady Consort to the All-faðr of Ásgarðr, and the other a mere mortal woman.

She was organizing next week's inter-departmental meetings. Her legs were crossed under her desk, and her feet were encased in high-heeled shoes that paid homage to elegant expanse of her graceful limbs. As she spoke, now and again Pepper swung her foot in small arcs, drawing distracted figures in the stared at that foot, seeing the shapely ankle and the small toes peeking out up front. He inhaled slowly and deeply.

Pepper replaced the handset and picked up her pen again. She stretched her neck and brought a hand up to massage a shoulder. This did things to her bust and collar bones which Trent did not fail to catch. His fingers sought and found a bracelet on his wrist that had been given to both him and Thor when they were children. His fingertips delicately traced the smooth lines of the runes and etchings carved on the smoothly cold surface.

Pepper continued to lightly stimulate her shoulder, and a small sound escaped her lips as her eyes closed. Trent shifted in his seat.

He quickly went back to typing again, keeping up the farce that he was still working. The silence in the office was thick and had a comfortable finality to it, as though it could not be broken. Pepper got up off her seat and walked to one of the cabinets in her office. She pulled out a large folder and returned with it to her desk, consulting the pages inside. The dimmed lights formed a small yellow halo on the crown of her head. They made her white blouse ever so slightly transparent, revealing the support she wore underneath it. Trent cocked his head to one side slightly, and his eyes narrowed as he continued looking at her. She stood tall, but he could see her leaning more on her desk for support and her feet shifted almost constantly.

Trent knew this meant that after a long day, the fatigue was catching up with her. As these were some of the moments she usually let her guard down and was more vulnerable, he had observed her most keenly.

During these weeks of studying her character and learning her schedule and habits, committing everything to memory, Loki had still not understood one thing. He had never liked to be boggled by something. Ever since he was a child, he had been used to studying things until he understood exactly how and why they worked until he knew them inside out – a useful feat for a trickster.

But this woman amongst many others, he simply did not understand.

At first, Loki had believed her to be a little like himself. She was in a position of power, and ran a small empire. She was a ruler. Loki too had been born to be a ruler. But he had always had a hunger inside him, and it had grown and grown, a beast that had threatened to engulf him entirely. There was no such hunger in this woman that Loki could see. She had reached her position and maintained a strong hand easily, enjoying it, but not seemingly driven by the need he felt to take and take. _Veni, vidi, vinci. _I came, I saw, and I conquered. The Romans had had a real flair for elegance despite their war-mongering ways.

She wasn't a conqueror.

But still, she was adored by her loyal subjects, and they all gathered about her, these busy little bees, and she guided them all with a wave of her hand, a small inclination of her head. She was a queen of men. Her edicts resonated through this small empire and reached out into the market, shaping it and changing it at will.

Loki had always wanted this. And he was darkly jealous of her, because she was low, lower than nothing to a god like Loki, and yet she had this power he had always wanted, but never truly had.

This mortal, this faint impression of life upon the endless flux of the Cosmos, she too stood bathed in a light he had never known.

He ground his jaws together as he looked at her, beautiful and oblivious bathed in the dim lights that so becomingly caressed her form.

But it would all come to an end for her soon. He simply needed to bide his time until the opportune moment came.

There were footsteps out in the hallway leading to her office. Irritated, Trent raised his head a bit more to see the newcomer.

But for some reason, in the moment that preceded the newcomer's arrival upon the threshold of Pepper's office, where he would soon be visible in the other room, Trent glanced at her again.

She looked up from the pages she'd been frowning over, and the quick change in expression that lit up her face was a gale of force that stole his breath from his lungs.

Pepper's frown smoothed out and unmistakeable pleasure fairly shined from her eyes when she noticed who was about to come into her office. Her red lips stretched into a happy smile, and she just about dropped everything, and came to stand in front of her desk.

Trent then quickly swivelled his head to see who had entered her office – but really, his suspicions needed only confirming.

And indeed they were confirmed.

The silhouette of Tony Stark blocked his vision for a couple of seconds, and then he swept forward. From his vantage point, Trent could see their profiles. They were both smiling at each other, looking like love-struck children. _Pathetic_.

Pepper took two steps forward, meeting Stark halfway, but that was all she had room for, for he reached her in the next second and then they were in each other's arms. Trent scowled, but then quickly smoothed it out and schooled his expression into a bland, uninterested mask.

"What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?"

Pepper spoke quietly once she had drawn back a little in order to look at Stark, a small smile still on her face. Stark, for his part, as he was wont to do nearly every time, swept his heated gaze quickly all over her face, and settled his hands on her hips, keeping her close.

His gaze was wholly appreciative, endearing and smugly possessive; no changes on that front. Trent scowled briefly again, but then smirked lightly. Stark was entirely predictable where Pepper Potts was concerned.

"I just finished over at Shield, and called Happy to see if you were still here. Thought I'd come by and say howdy."

Pepper quirked her lips and tilted her head back slightly as she smiled in amusement at him, laughing lightly.

"Howdy Ms. Potts, you done running this circus of delights for tonight?"

Pepper smirked lightly coyly, her eyes staring into his. "Well howdy back, Mr. Stark. As a matter of fact, I just need ten more minut-"

Stark (rudely) cut her off. He made a sound reminiscent of those alarm-like shrieks on the tv shows Samantha watched every night, where someone would answer a question, and it would be the incorrect answer. Trent rolled his eyes inwardly.

"Uh-uh, wrong answer. We are in fact going to collect your belongings Ms. Potts, and you will then happily trot hanging onto my arm as we make our way towards my vehicle, from which we will proceed to go home. And, like, do stuff."

Stark smirked winningly at her, trying to be adorable.

Trent stared at him with mild disgust. Was he, the God of Mischief, truly planning to go up against this, this – _child_? For a moment he wondered at that. It might be like butting heads with that foul boy, Bobby. Utterly enjoyable to squash under his heel, but not really worth his time, surely!

Evidently Pepper thought there would be no harm in indulging his whims tonight, for that is exactly what she did. She brought her hands to link behind his neck, caressing his hair and nape gently, all the while looking at him tenderly. Trent's eyes glittered malevolently.

"_Trotting _is definitely out of the question, yes to the drive home … and to everything else. Would that be all?"

Stark smiled at her – one of his rare smiles, the ones he truly meant – and spoke again, his tone clearly amused. "Thereabouts. For now. Let's hustle outta here."

He quickly leaned in and gave her a resounding kiss, to which she happily participated.

They broke apart. Stark got her jacket and bag, whilst Pepper tidied her desk and turned off the computer.

Trent supposed now was the time in which he had to make an appearance, as a dutiful assistant. He walked into her office through the connecting door and lightly cleared his throat.

He clasped his hands in front of him in a relaxed pose. "Ms. Potts."

Pepper looked at him. "Yes, Trent? Is everything coming along?"

"Yes ma'am, I'll be done tonight, and place the reports on your desk tomorrow morning. Is there anything else you would like for me to do for you before you leave for the night, ma'am?"

Pepper smiled at him. "Oh that's all right Trent, you don't have to hand those report in to me until mid-morning, so you too may go home now, if you wish. Also –"

Again Stark interrupted her, and this time he spoke to Trent directly.

"Yeah yeah yeah – listen Kurt would you give Happy a quick ring to let him know he can go for the night, I'd appreciate it, buddy."

The sneer of arrogance – and dismissal – thoroughly irritated him. But he had to be very careful of his reactions and behaviour right now. He had a role to play. He could be utterly his true self later. And he had just been reminded that yes, indeed: all of this _was_ worth his time. Stark needed to be put back into his place; preferably at Loki's feet.

He pasted a polite smile on his face and nodded at what Stark had just told him. He heard Pepper quietly chiming Stark for his rude behaviour, looking at her lover with mild disapproval. "His name is Trent, not Kurt. And please be nice to my staff, Tony." She looked at Trent again, and smiled apologetically. "Trent, thank you for all you've done tonight. I couldn't have finished without your assistance, I truly appreciate you staying late to help me. Have a good night, we'll talk about those reports tomorrow."

Trent bowed his head slightly in her direction. "Very well, ma'am, and good night to you both."

He quickly looked at Stark, who was slightly annoyed at her rebuke and clearly impatient for him and her to go. The strongly resisted the urge to silently challenge him with his eyes. There would be time for many, many things later, when he had them both right where he wanted them.

The couple swept out of the office and he returned to his own, straightening things.

They chatted quietly on their way out, and Pepper laughed for the first time that day. Trent furtively looked out into the corridor at their retreating backs, their hands entwined, keeping a leisurely pace with one another.

He clenched his fists, and the bitter gall of fury swamped the inside of his mouth, feeding his hunger for a taste of revenge.

So Stark thought himself great, did he?

Well soon he would have greatness snapping at his heels.

They would never see him coming.

Now Loki knew what he had to do.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Okay, so if you're confused, here's a little explanation. Loki now lives on Earth and has managed to make a life for himself, going by the name of 'Lukas'. **

**This will be the last that we see of Trent for a while, probably, because in the next chapter, things are gonna *happen*. I'm promising a sweet ride, so check back in the next few days! ;)**

**Please leave me a comment to tell me what you think, I wholly embrace anything my readers have said so far!**


	5. Lay down

**AN: So here it is, chapter five; you didn't have to wait so long for it this time, for which you'll be glad. ;)**

**This isn't a favourite chapter of mine, but a necessary one for the plot. Just a quick explanation: in this chapter we are now catching up to the present and seeing Pepper on her vacation again just when she is taken. Add that to the fact that Loki has been around for a while, as well as his feelings and motives and you come up with- well, read to find out. A big thank you to all my lovely readers, the ones who have reviewed and let me know their thoughts (Iloveyas sooooo much!), as well as those who have added this story to their favourites and/or alerts. ^.^**

**Just wanted to address some readers' thoughts, so if you reviewed chapter four, this is my response.**

**Abbey Lee: **I won't give anything away, but you can rest easy and carry on reading this story. It has dark tones and drama, and themes not suitable for a non-adult audience, but apart from that all will work out, never fear! ;)

**Gigi: **First, I'm so happy you're sticking with reading and commenting! ;) I realise the names/different personalities was confusing. Loki comes to Earth and wants to keep off the Avengers' radar, so he names himself Lukas Waldron and goes about surviving as a man ... with special powers. When he decides that he wants Tony to pay for what happened in the Avengers' movie, he starts forming plans, following both him and Pepper. Then he realises that he can't hurt Tony better than by getting to Pepper, so he employs all the tricks he knows in order to get close to her. This, he does by meeting one of her personal assistants one day, and striking a 'friendship' with him (Trent Mason). He then gets as close to him as he can, and when he has the chance of taking Trent's place at the company, he seizes it, by getting rid of the real Trent, and assuming his identity. This will all be resolved in this chapter, so I hope you're not confused about things. ;) Hope to hear from you again!

**ilikegoo, fantasia-49, lecka: **thank you for your kind words, I hope you all enjoy what happens next! ;)

**My beta reader will be reading this, so she knows how much I appreciate her help. Luv you bb! x x**

**Now on to the chapter! **

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><p>.<p>

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*** Chapter five: Lay down ***

**.**

**.**

_* *Lurking in darkness, there is a root that takes a man's reason prisoner, until it calls out no more.* *_

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><p><strong>-A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE RECONSTRUCTION OF STARK TOWER.-<strong>

Pepper's flight out to the Turks and Caicos islands that morning would depart within the hour.

She had tied up all loose ends, and left instructions with Evangeline, Sarah and Trent with regards to official business. They all had multiple ways of contacting her should the need arise, and so everything was set. And their break was set to go.

If only Tony himself was set to go.

Pepper frowned in distress as she acquiesced and then ended the call. This wasn't a great start to some alone time for her and Tony, who had just called her to tell her that something was holding him up. She had immediately readied herself to call the flight to a halt, but Tony had insisted on her going ahead without him. Naturally, Pepper had plenty of arguments to contest the questionable decision, but Tony was adamant about this, and so she complied with his wish to go ahead this morning as planned, and await his arrival at the house that night.

She did it, but she didn't like it.

When boarding time approached, Pepper took her carry-on and made her way out of the VIP lounge.

Something niggled at the back of her mind. What was holding up Tony was some virus that had hacked into the company's systems and had caused no short list of problems for their eastern seaboard offices.

And that in and of itself was not just strange, it was practically impossible.

Tony himself had designed the safety protocols and firewalls of the company, and they were unbreakable. But someone had still managed to get past them and wreak havoc.

If Tony said he could totally handle things without her input, for once in her life, she really should just stand by and watch what he'd make of it. It was still _his_ company, and it wouldn't hurt them if he took immediate action and an actual interest once in a while.

Having reached a sensible decision, Pepper strapped herself in, and was soon immersed in more pleasant thoughts.

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><p>This was the tricky part.<p>

He absolutely _had_ to pull this off, or his house of cards would tumble to the ground in shambles.

Loki (up till now still disguised as Trent) had been one of the few people to be aware of Pepper and Tony's little get away – being one of her loyal assistants, it couldn't be helped. And this was good.

He'd timed everything perfectly down to a 't'.

Loki had created the illusion of a virus that was sweeping the company's servers, forcing Stark to remain behind whilst Pepper would travel on out of the country, alone – and utterly ready for the taking. He let the glow of warmth steal about him as he relished this last thought.

He had something better up his sleeve. He was the Trickster, Master of Illusions.

And right now he had one more task to complete before leaving the city.

Loki's smile resembled daggers.

Satisfied with what was brewing, he stealthily resumed his own physical appearance (though not the exact one of Loki), and left for his date with destiny.

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><p><strong>-LATER THAT DAY, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS-<strong>

He was good at stalking. He had learned this art in his father's dungeons and the remotest towers back in Asgard, trailing behind Thor's boisterous steps.

He made himself no more substantial than smoke, and let the wind carry him where he commanded, invisible to all.

The red-haired woman who would be his prey went about her day none the wiser. He was not seen.

He was not heard.

He was no suspected.

…Then she shocked him. He had to admit it. His degree of admiration for her rose up another couple of notches, though a little grudgingly.

It was enough for uncertainty to slip into his mind, but not enough to deter him from this path.

She's sensed him, down at the beach. He knew she had.

And no one, not even Heimdall, the All-Seer, had ever sensed Loki's presence when he bid himself invisible.

And yet this woman, this … mortal with her beguiling, ensnaring ways, she had sensed him near her. Loki had been disconcerted the moment it happened. How? How could it be?

He'd had to play with her, then. It was an irresistible impulse.

When Pepper had become rigid and started looking about her to see who else was there, as though she expected to see someone if she turned her head, Loki had frozen her body, paralyzed it. This had swamped her with fear.

It had been amusing to watch her struggle his hold on her, and he once again admired her strength. By the elements that were inside her and surrounded her, he first bound her – enough to give her a small sample, a taste of what was coming – and with the same speed he then unbound her.

If he was honest with himself, Loki had planned to take her right there on that beach.

And then the surprising turn of events had shocked him, yes, but something good had still come of it all. He realised he could prolong things a little more, which would be even more enjoyable. This way, the tension would build and build and build, reaching a satisfying crescendo, until-

Loki had always had a taste for drama and theatrics.

Taking her at night, just before Stark's arrival would indeed be sublime.

Still invisible and insubstantial, he looked at her as she got ready to leave the house for the last time. The smooth expanse of her naked skin, lissom and elegant only highlighted just how vulnerable she could be. He sometimes needed to remind himself that this woman, whose will made of iron paved her way in the world as she mediated between it and Tony Stark, was still very much vulnerable and open to manipulation as well as pain.

Loki's heart beat more resoundingly in his chest, and his arms fairly itched with anticipation down to his fingertips.

_Soon_, he thought, watching her dress, tasting on the back of his tongue the restless anxiety she couldn't completely ignore, a deliciously tangy burst of flavour. Something within practically purred with satisfaction. The strange yearning built and built and flooded his senses, making him feel heady with the sensations, and slightly desperate for something. Those eyes. Her temperament. Her mind. Loki closed his eyes with bliss and savoured his building excitement. _She was … finger-licking._

He followed her inside the small thicket of trees, where the only eyes and ears that penetrated the encroaching darkness of twilight belonged to animals.

She reached the end of the tree line- -

Loki pounced- -

- -And drew her into his embrace of darkness, fading the world around her…until Pepper was no more.

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger, I know. ;)<strong>

**Next chapter will be present-day.**

**I'm taking some leaves outta Loki's Book of Mischief. But you won't be hanging for long, promise! Thank you for reading, I hope you'll take the time to leave a comment, or that you favourite my story. :)**

**R&R!**


	6. The never  dawning day PART I

**AN: I wanted to thank my beta-reader as usual for the work she does. The next part will be posted before the week-end's out, so look for it before Monday!**

**A huge thank you goes to those who have left reviews again, and favourited this story or added it to their alerts - much appreciated! :)**

**Credit lyrics: Kate Havnevik.**

**I wanted to answer to a couple of people's reviews in particular, so if you reviewed chapter five, please read this!**

**Tbnasib: **I appreciate that you have stayed with this since the beginning, I truly do. :) As for how it all ties in with chapter one, I hope this chapter and the next will clear up the left-over confusion! I hope to hear from you again, and that you will no longer be confused! Thanks for the review.

**Gigi: **Yay, you're still here! :) I hope this was fast enough for you! ;)

**Trinigyal: **You shrieked for joy - eeep! :D I'm really happy you're liking my bone-chilling Loki so far, and yeah, he has been pretty creepy especially in the last chapter. But that's about to step up to a whole other level, heh. I have certain plans for Loki, and the road is yet mysterious and long. ;) I hope your patience has been rewarded with this chapter! Please continue leaving me your thoughts! :)

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SUMMARY:<strong>

_In which Loki ensorcelles his victim and tortures her in the dark cage of despair he created for her. He obliterates her real memories and replaces them with - something else._

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><p><strong>*Chapter six: The never-dawning day*<strong>

**PART I**

_The stars, the moon_

_They have all been blown out_

_You've left me in the dark_

_No dawn_

_No day_

_I'm always in this twilight_

_In the shadow of your heart_

_I tried to find the sun_

_But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness_

_Oh, darkness I became_

_Then I heard your heart beating,_

_You were in the darkness too_

_So I stayed in the darkness with you._

_ - 'Cosmic Love' by Florence & The Machine_

_._

_._

_-o-o-o-_

The black inkiness was littered with spots of bright white light, a stark contrast to the encompassing hues of blue so dark in some areas it was black.

It was floating there, emotionless and purposeless. It did not know its origins, nor if it had a name.

Name. _What is … name?_

What does it mean –

- words. Speech. Language.

All these thoughts were confusing.

It did not know anything. What was life? What was death? Was this living? Where is-?

As moments – eons, eras, millennia? Or mere seconds? – passed, strong was the sense of timelessness.

In time a certain sense of self – a consciousness – returned.

Consciousness … ? What was … consciousness?

Cognition began ebbing back in small tidal waves, rippling across its consciousness.

What manner of creature was … I? _I?_ Who am I?

Sharp bursts of light engulfed everything, as it floated in this limbo, but it did not know if there was peace, or a profound nothingness so overcoming that it erased all else.

A voice.

There was a voice inside. Or was it outside? But then, what was in … and what was out?

Breathing-

Breath. Palpitations. Heart…?

Beating.

Pulse.

Lungs, diaphragm … expanding. Air in.

Air out.

Air. Oxygen.

This was good. This was necessary. This was life.

Life …

Why … so hazy?

Why … so confused?

_It is an everyday occurrence, after all._

_Disappearances … happen._

(Pains go phantom.)

_Blood … stops running._

(And people …)

_People fade away._

People, yes people. Was it a people? No, not 'people'. Person. A person. She. She!

She, no longer it. She was a person, a being, a creature of the stars. Were they stars? They had to be, these white lights glowing bright in the blackness.

_(Timeless. Love is a cure -)_

Did she love?

She was a … woman.

Oh no, no … what was her name? What was her _name_?

_(-a promise. Still so pure._

_Rise like the tide._

_No need to hide._

_Fearless, just like before.)_

There were images that she saw. But her eyes. Were they open?

_(Oh, _

_Here we go_

_They're all waiting _

_For a cure.)_

Did it matter? She watched these images with a polite curiosity. What did she care for them, they weren't hers after all. They were bright and colourful, and they tugged at her insides, as though she was supposed to know their meaning.

There were so, so many; but only a handful truly registered and stayed in her brain. They were no more than floating feathers, just as light and just as flighty.

There were brown eyes looking right at her. Her heart … oh, _her heart._ It belonged to them, these soulful eyes. He was a child.

No, not a child. A _man_.

The thought of this man, it made her burn with longing, made her yearn fiercely, made her …

Her eyes brimmed over and sorrow spilled down her face. This ache … oh, she didn't want this ache! This was so painful. This was … this was _agony._

_(Breathe in_

_And let go)_

Beloved! Where have you gone, beloved?

The images continued. She knew they were memories. And they flooded her with so much hurt! But … they were of _him_. She could never not want something of him, even if the pain was so physical it tore at her flesh.

_(I have seen_

_How you crawl_

_Flicker and hover-)_

He was brilliant and funny, brave and generous. A man-child spoiled and selfish, immature and deeply insecure, used to wearing dozens of faces more than he was used to being himself: sometimes briefly stark, and exposed.

She liked him in all his disguises.

She liked him when he was bare. When he lay naked in the darkness beside her. When his hands were on her flesh, holding her and moulding her, setting her on fire, that burning handshake, those drugging kisses.

She liked listening to his voice, when he rambled about his genius, when it was low and serious with all that lay heavy on his mind, when it was playful, when it was tender and delicious in her ear, hot intimate whispers that made her stomach flip-

_A tingle travelled up her spine and at the same time a cluster of colours entwined, as they melted… into one._

_"Amore. Look at me. I want to see you…" his breathing was ragged and hers stole away as she couldn't help voicing her ecstasy. "Come for me, Pepper."_

_(Still changing colours_

_But nothing can break this calm-)_

A fissure broke open on the surface of her heart, ad it spread all over until it cracked, until it _all_ cracked-

Pepper.

Tony.

Tony and Pepper.

Tony… Tony…Tonytonyton-

-Her eyes snapped open as the synapses continued firing in her brain, his name a tortured wail on her tongue. The momentum of the spasming in her muscles brought her to a sitting position, but her sight was dimmed and the world around her was indistinct, as thought a mere dream.

Then a dark figure loomed over her, and she tumbled down the hole into breathless terror again, her sense screaming at her that this wasn't right, that there was danger-

He bent closer to her and she felt his breath on her skin –which crawled at the contact- as he spoke into her ear. "Hush now, Pepper. Quieten down. Just let it take you. Let the sleep engulf you again."

His voice was swirls of colours that compelled, icy snakes that crooned cruelly in loveless mockery. She was helpless, in her state. Helpless to resist the heavy tsunami of sleep that crashed over her, induced by his dark trickery. She wanted to sob. She wanted to cry out, and beat away at him with her fists, but her arms were no stronger than a new-born kitten, and she didn't even have claws.

His hands locked on them, held her fast. Held her paralysed outside just as much as she was inside. He held her rigid body with his strength, bending it to his wishes, folding her back down onto the soft surface beneath her, supine and boneless again. Floating … floating.

"That's it, my little bird. You're so pale, and so cold. Rest your weary mind, my fragile one. I will look after you."

-o-o-o-o-

She was in the darkness again, but no matter how fiercely she fought back, it kept her a prisoner, unable to wake up.

But this time she wasn't alone in the darkness. There were things that moved there. They were as insubstantial as smoke and mirrors, mere impressions like plumes of ink gliding eerily around her space, crowding her. And they spoke to her, these voices, like far-away transmissions of anguish.

She didn't like them. She squeezed her eyes shut, and wished them away.

But there they remained, whispering words of poison to her. They blackened her hope and fed her bitter morsels of despair.

And the images accompanied them, all in her head, squeezing her heart. It was a tale that was more like a dream and a wish, mixed with nightmarish tinges fraught with heartbreak.

It was something utterly new, and yet bits of it she already knew, they were familiar.

They told her to listen, and to accept it as truth.

She did not trust them.

So they howled.

She cringed and tried to shy away, to crawl into an empty space, to evade them, but they were always there, always with her, always whispering things.

They spoke of a love so profound that it stole her breath, and threatened her reason. But there were strange images intruding here and there.

-A wedding ceremony; melodic tunes and a flowing white dress. Two rings on twin fingers, and laughing brown eyes-

-Love that grew, and strengthened and soothed at her soul.-

-Flashes of intimate embraces and endless peaceful mornings, awakening next to her husband; he with his arms tucking her against his side (so safe, so dear), she placing a hand on the blue of the reactor in his chest as she bent closer to kiss him lovingly.-

-Cars, and nights, and friends, and worry as red and gold armour flashed whilst it revealed the tired man inside; fights and misunderstandings, but always unity.-

Then—

-His eyes again, always his eyes. There was a most peculiar expression in them. His hand was big and his fingers light when they rested on her swollen belly; his face held infinite gentleness, and an intense, quiet adoration she had never seen before. He leaned in close to the balloon that was her stomach and pressed a tender kiss on the firm roundness. He looked up at her again, with eyes beaming like twin suns.-

This … wasn't real, it couldn't be real, it wasn't real! … Was it?

-He embraced her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. There was a sweet weight in her arms now, a tiny bundle of blankets where a tiny face burrowed deep, but she couldn't see it clearly. A sweet bud of a mouth latched on to her teat and suckled with adorable abandon. "You're so beautiful. He's so _perfect_, isn't he?"-

But the voices weren't done, and the images were worse.

He flew out one day, and returned barely alive, only to die in her arms.

No more! NO MORE!

The writhing smoking figures ceased their restlessness, and left her alone.

She whimpered, feeling as though the very air she breathed was poison, clutching her gut and seaming her lips shut. The skin of her body felt as though it had been brushed at with sandpaper, leaving trails of fire whittling down to her bones.

But still, she slept.

-o-o-o-o-

He looked at her, helpless and immobile in his dark cage, trapped within her own body, drowning in his bleak dreams that invaded her mind and became memories of events that had never happened.

A few pitiful sounds escaped her lips, and her face was twisted in dire distress even in sleep.

He grinned, all white gleaming teeth, in approval and appreciation of the beautiful art, this master-piece unfolding before him.

He touched two fingertips to her forehead, and let out a malice-tinged laugh at the havoc he wreaked on her. He sealed the false memories with the beginning of the end –her leaving everything behind, even her fatherless child, to wander through the world, wraith-like with a burning grief that would eventually engulf her and swallow her whole.

He then straightened and brought his hand away.

He swept out of the room and began the preparations for the next time she would truly awaken.

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><p><strong>End of part I - expect part II by Monday! Please leave me your comments, I LOVE reading them! ;)<strong>


	7. The never dawning day PART II

**AN: I am so so happy with the ratings of Tarnished, guys! 5,700+ views *squee* Thank you all very much! :D**

**I promised you a quick update period for part two of this chapter before Monday, and here it is - I hope you guys like it as much as part one! Which now brings me to a couple of answers of the reviews I have received, so if you left me a comment on part one, read on.**

**BelieverOfManyThings: **I'm happy the suspense got to you. Thanks for reviewing - you were the first, yay! - and I hope to hear from you again! :)

**Trinigyal: **I won't write it explicitly in case I ruin the surprise for other readers who weren't as discerning as you, but - YES! You're spot-on my friend. :) Hope to deliver more of those heartracing TonPep moments you have come to crave, in this part of the chapter as well. ;) And here is honourable mention #2 - keep it coming!

**Tbnasib3: **Oh, I am so, so glad you're out of the confusion tunnel! I was beginning to question my ability as a story-teller - which isn't much, granted, but still, self-doubt doesn't make for a happy camper. I'm very glad I have managed to deliver the coup you needed to get the bigger picture. :) I hope that now you're aware of exactly what is going on, to hear from you again! Thanks.

**Inkling39: **Thank you so much, I'm very happy that you like the way I write him! :D You know, I don't know much about Loki as a character, but I have seen his Loki-movies, and did background research on how Tom Hiddleston attempts to portray the character - which helped immensely, because the way he sees Loki is so very interesting. I can only hope to make my Loki half as interesting as Hiddleston sees him! Hope to hear from you again. :)

**Beguilingirl: **WOW. Thank you, thank you so much! :) I'm thrilled that you liked chapter two so much, especially with regards to the pepperony, and the parallels of the beginning vs. the end of it. Visceral descriptions - wow. Just... Guh. *flails* :D

As for your review to , part one - I am extremely pleased that you thought it was worth the wait. You're right, as of this moment Loki's less noble side is totally in control, and he has a wicked game plan. I think, in the way I see this character, that he has learnt _something_ from his previous trip to Earth and his subsequent defeat at the hands of the Avengers. And his mother did manage to make him turn around during his Days of Trial in Asgard. He has such a profound respect and affection for her gentle nature, and I think in the end we'll have to see just how important the lessons she imparted him will be. But the desire for revenge is very strong for Loki right now - and something else is cropping up too, I don't know if you've noticed; it's something darker and of extreme importance with regards to how he feels towards Pepper. But I won't say any more than that. ;) I'm very glad you liked TonPep again in chapter four, and hope that your expectations for part two aren't disappointed. Thanks for the reviews - I better hear from you again! :)

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><p><strong>*Chapter six: The never-dawning day*<strong>

**Part II**

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When she opened her eyes after she didn't know how long, it was dark around her. Not just the room she was in, but outside too by the looks of what lay outside the window.

There was an ache behind her eyes, and her mouth felt thick and dry as the desert. Stretching a little, she winced at the cramped feeling in her muscles, and blinked in hazy confusion. How long had she been asleep?

The bed beneath her felt familiar, and she instinctively knew that she was home. But that's all that came to her. Frowning unhappily at the state of her body and at the fact that she could not recall how she'd ended up here, Pepper tried to remember anything about-

About when?

An even more upsetting thought crossed her mind; that she did not know what day it was, how she'd ended up in bed – hell she couldn't even be sure of the date or time of year at this point!

She tried her throat wanting to see if she could speak, but it was so dry from disuse that it hurt just to try.

She sat up in bed and held her pounding head in her hands, wanting the ache to let up so that she could think straight. She knew that her voice would come out a scary croak, but tried it anyway. "JARVIS?"

There was no reply. That's how she realised that her situation was a little worse than she might have imagined. Usually when she or Tony woke up JARVIS would automatically turn on the lights, enquire about their rest and so on. But this time there was nothing. And he hadn't responded to vocal prompt either. She remained bathed in darkness.

What was going on? Why couldn't she remember how she got here? And why wasn't JARVIS running? Where –

But before the thought could fully formulate inside her head, her body became rigid and her heart shrivelled. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make sense of it all. There was something … something she was supposed to remember, Pepper knew, her mind was telling her so. But what was it? It had to be important!

She heard an echo of a whisper touch across her mind-

And suddenly it all came back.

She was …

A widow.

Tony…had left her.

Tony was…dead.

It all came back to her in one head-pounding agonising flash. The party, his tardiness, the guests. The sound of his suit roaring through the air towards the house, her happy dash down the stairs –

The colour of the red, everywhere. On him, on her.

The look in his eyes, so vivid in her numbed brain, as they looked at her for the last time before breath left him.

Without even realising it Pepper was sobbing and wailing. Her husband was dead. Tony was gone. He had been killed. No, no, NO! This was a nightmare, this couldn't be real, Tony couldn't be gone for ever!

But it was right there, vivid and crippling in her memories. His death. His funeral. Her encompassing grief. Her heart cried out for the soul-mate it had lost. But she couldn't get him back. How…

How could she reach him now? The thought that she would never see him again, never speak to him again, never feel his touch, or hear his voice-

She couldn't take it.

She keeled over and curled up in a foetal position on the bed. Her frame shook with her violent crying, and she clutched her hands to her chest where the ache of missing him hurt the most. His name was a desolate mantra running over and over in her mind, as though she was trying to call him back to her-

But this time he was truly gone. This time, she was truly alone.

Something whispered across her mind again, forcing her to halt abruptly. She'd remembered something else. Or rather, someone else.

Their son. Her precious, fatherless baby boy.

Panic seized her in a heartbeat.

Where was he?

Where was her son?

This galvanised her into action. She didn't know where she found the strength, but she bolted off her bed and made her way out their bedroom to the nursery. Everything here, too, was dark. She tried the lights, but the switch clicked emptily, no electricity impulses seemingly getting through to the appliances. Her breathing became more laboured at each and every new finding of a puzzle that grew more terrifying and befuddling with each second. She didn't know what had happened to the house.

She finally reached the threshold of the nursery, where she ground to a halt.

This room, too, was dark – and the cot was empty. Shockwaves of adrenaline and panic fed her new-found strength, and Pepper whirled around and dashed down the stairs, her heart in her throat. She tried to tamp down on the rising hysteria in order to maintain logical thought.

There were two things that she knew: one, the house was empty, and looked as though it hadn't been lived in for a long time. Two, neither Larissa, the nanny, or her son were here – and she didn't know where they were.

Her breath picked up its tempo and became wheezy. There was a painful lump clogging her throat, and she couldn't swallow it down. For one brief, insane moment, Pepper thought about taking the stairs to her left in order to go down to the workshop, to see if by some miracle they were there. But just the thought of it clamped her muscles rigid till she had to force herself to her knees on the floor, or collapse. She couldn't go down there. The workshop had to remain sealed shut. She would _not _setfoot on that staircase.

Pepper forced herself to think again. She did not know where her BlackBerry was. And had no idea where Happy, or even Rhodey were. She got up and ran to the phone on the coffee table. Bringing the handset up to her ear, she discovered that there was no dial tone. She numbly dropped it back onto the table.

She didn't know what to do, and despair rose sharply within her. All these distressing facts wereplaying havoc on her control; empty house, no phones, a shut down JARVIS, no idea where her baby was …

For the first time she noticed that she was chilled to the bone, probably because she wasn't wearing any socks or shoes, and the only thing that covered her body was a thin t-shirt that covered half of her thighs.

Suddenly she heard a noise inside the house, and was startled out of her wits. Pepper did not scream – thankfully her throat would not have allowed it – and dove for cover behind the large sofa, her senses sharpening, trying to pick up any sign of imminent danger. She crouched behind the sofa and ignored the pain in her knees as they rested on the hard floor. Her breath was baited as she waited for something to happen.

He emerged from the shadows of the hallway, footsteps silent on the marble flooring. His hands were drawn behind his back and his pose was completely casual. She had not seen him or heard him yet. His green gaze glittered as he looked at her. He walked closer to her. "Pepper?"

This time she shrieked and jumped about a foot in the air. Her frightened eyes scanned his form up his legs, his waist, his torso, his shoulders and neck, until finally they focused on his face. Sobbing with relief, recognition sparked within her. "Oh Rhodey! I was so scared, I thought there was an intruder in the house."

He helped her to her feet, his sharp gaze never wavering from her wan face. "Are you okay, Pepper? What are you doing here?"

Pepper looked at him, confusion plainly written on her face. Her voice was anguished when she spoke. "Rhodey where's the baby? Where's Larissa? What – what happened here? The phone lines are disconnected, JARVIS is shut down … Whuh- w-what is going on?"

Rhodey looked down at the flashlight in his hand, and it was the first time Pepper noticed it was even there. When he looked at her again, she couldn't read his expression, until it changed and it slipped into a mask of cool calm. "Pepper … look, come here, let's sit down on the sofa, all right?"

They both sat down and Pepper twisted the t-shirt in her lap. "Rhodey, what's happening?"

He looked at her steadily with a pitying, patient look on his face. "Pepper, you moved out of hereweeks ago, after Tony's funeral. Larissa … she doesn't work for you anymore. I – look, there's no easy way to say this, but I just want you to know that I am here for you, Pepper."

Pepper's eyes were impossibly wide and blue as she looked at him, and her heart was in her throat as she listened to what he was saying, because none of it made sense. He spoke again, his tone halting, trying to be soothing.

"Hon … the kid is living somewhere else now, as per your wishes. You felt like you couldn't take care of him the way he deserved, so you placed him in someone else's custody. This was two months ago, Pepper. A few weeks after Tony's death, you both moved out of the house into an apartment closer to town. Larissa was looking after him practically twenty-four seven by then. You realised he needed more than you could give him at this point, so you placed him in the care of a friend. Until last week, you'd visit him three times a week at her house."

Pepper just stared at him uncomprehendingly. This was devastating. This couldn't be true. She would-

Would she … give up her son?

She _had_ given him up, three months ago! How could she not remember any of this?! Something was wrong!

She helplessly looked at Rhodey. "I – I … don't re-remember any of this! I c-can't - Oh, God Rhodey! I can't even remember th-th-the funeral!"

He took her hand and squeezed it lightly in a reassuring manner.

"Don't worry Pepper, you're not alone. You have friends, and you have me. We're going to get you through this, because you need to be strong now, okay? Tony's son needs you to be strong now, Pepper. _Your_ son needs his mother."

She hid her face in her hands and cried brokenly. "I can't make any sense out of this!"

"Look Pepper, all I know is you disappeared around a week ago. Happy came to your home to pick you up for work in the morning, and you were gone. No one knew where you were. We've been looking for you ever since. It only occurred to me this afternoon to come up here to see if you were here, even though it didn't make any sense."

Pepper shook her head, feeling completely lost. "I've been here for a week?"

Rhodey nodded. "I guess so. I didn't think to come up here to look for you because … hell, you wanted to shut up this place and never return!"

Pepper looked around her, noticing how bare and empty the large, dark house seemed.

"Look, don't worry about the company, I've been taking care of things for you. If you need time, take all the time you need. You don't need to worry about anything but _you_ right now. You just need to focus on getting back on your feet, and you have my support. You know that, right?"

Pepper's gaze was drawn towards the large floor-to-ceiling windows and the expanse of the night beyond them, as though looking for answers there that would help her make sense of all this.

"Rhodey. What happened … to JARVIS?"

Rhodey remained utterly still as he regarded her. An uncomfortable frisson tingled at the back of her neck; his stillness and unwavering stare were a little eerie.

"JARVIS was shut down when you left. He downloaded himself over at the company servers. As for the 'bots … they're in storage downstairs."

Pepper understood which room he meant by 'downstairs.' She was hesitant when she spoke again. "And the …suits?"

Rhodey calmly replied that all the Iron Man suits were in storage as well, just the way Tony had left them. Even the last one was there, mangled as it was.

Her hands twisted her t-shirt again, feeling like she had no hope of getting a grip on reality.

"Look hon I'm going to be brutally honest with you. It's for your own good. Tony's death hit us all pretty hard, but for you, it was even worse. You became unstable … unhinged. You know, years ago he made me promise that I would look after you, if anything were to happen to him. I tried to take care of you and the kid for his sake. But you've been on a downward spiral for some time now, Pepper. The last truly sane thing that you did was when you placed the baby in someone else's care."

Pepper looked at him silently. Shock had set in a while ago, and now she just felt too numb to wrap her head around any of it. Everything was wrong. None of it made sense. The only positive thing here was that at least her son was being cared for properly.

Rhodey placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort, frowning worriedly at her. "Pepper there is no food or water or electricity in this house. How did you stay here all these days?"

Pepper had no answer to that. He sighed and rubbed her shoulder briefly. "Look, what we're going to do now is get you dressed. I'll tell the guys that I've found you, and that you're okay. We've all been so worried! We thought you'd been kidnapped, or that you'd done something crazy."

"I'm here for you, Pepper. Next time don't just drop off the face of the earth without alerting anyone, all right?"

Pepper nodded numbly, hardly knowing what she was agreeing to. The numbness had spread all over her and now she was cocooned by it. This was better. Being unaware of anything was better right now. This was all she could do. She couldn't think about any of it without feeling disbelieving grief or hysteria threatening to take her over and under.

Leave this house? How could she do that?

Who was this other woman, this other Pepper, this _stranger_ that had done all these things? How could she leave the house where they had started, where they had loved each other and where they'd conceived their baby? This was their _home_! She couldn't leave. She wanted to stay here.

"Come on, let's get you dressed more warmly, and then we'll get you home."

Pepper shook her head at him. "But don't you see, Rhodey? I _am_ home. I'm not going anywhere."

Rhodey frowned in worried disapproval. "But you can't stay here, Pepper. There's no water, no electricity, no gas here."

"But it's what I want. I just want to stay here. You said you'd do anything I asked. Well right now, I just need you to make this house liveable again."

Rhodey sighed, but acquiesced to her request. "Let me know if you need anything else."

Then he got up and left the house. Pepper got up and locked the front doors. She returned to the sofa and curled up on her side, trying to dull her senses. She needed to make this unbearable hurt go away, but it seemed to be a losing battle.

Living … so much as merely existing without Tony was the hardest thing she had ever done.

Pepper didn't know if she could do it.

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><p><strong>And there you have it, guys, the end of chapter six. I'm so looking forward to hearing about your opinions and feelings -please please please. the feels!- about how things are evolving. The next chapter is already a work in progress soon to be posted, so I think I'll be seeing you all next week - fingers crossed! <strong>

**Thank you all for the reviews, the story and/or author favourites/alerts, it gives me great, almost unparalleled pleasure! Keep this up, and I may just have to reward you all with a bit of Tony/Pepper on the side. Or perhaps a very quick preview snippet of unedited!chapter seven. *Grins* But we'll see how it goes. ;)**

**Don't forget to R&R! Come on, don't be shy, I love hearing your opinions and discussing them with you! :) So yes. I'm looking at you: please write to me and press that button!**

**Till next time.**


	8. Ephemeral

**AN: Once more I must begin by thanking my lovely readers. :)**

**Particularly those who have left their thoughts, positive or neutral or whatever, you are the ones who help this story grow. A particularly heartfelt thank you must go to my dear friend ASKITA, for pointing me in the right direction with this - she's unbelievably focused and I have nothing but nice things to say about her! :)**

**Some of you noticed and commented on the rating change. All I'll say is this: while it may not exactly be 'M' rating content as of yet, we're building up to some pretty rough road which will merit the rating.**

**Gigi: **Ahhhhh. The feels your review left me with. Just - gah, the feels. Thank you babe! :) I'll try to make it so you will notice the update this time, that way you won't feel *too* much anxious about the latest chapter, lol! ;)

**Ursos: **you're a newcomer, and are most welcome for it and for leaving a review! :)

It's truly great to hear from you and all the others how good you think my work is, and it really pays off when you're writing to know that people out there are going to be reading it and letting you know their thoughts, so thanks for being a part of that. As for Pepper discovering Tony is still alive - I'm afraid you'll just have to wait and see. But I can tell you, this particular chapter is quite *devious*. ;)

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SUMMARY<strong>

_In which Pepper is trying to find her footing in this topsy-turvy world that she struggles to recognise. But there are things lurking in the dark and the unknown that she isn't aware of - and Loki intends to keep it that way._

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><p><strong>*Chapter seven: Ephemeral*<strong>

**.**

**.**

_"I would not bend. They could not make me." – Janice Hardy_

_"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again." – Sylvia Plath_

-o-o-o-o-

**KIDNAPPED DAY 7**

**LOCATION: UNKNOWN**

She wished today never existed, not in the entire history of human calendars. Because if it didn't exist, it wouldn't mark her husband's death anniversary. Her life was in shambles, shattered in a plethora of pieces. Every time she thought one was fixed, another broke down.

_- all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put it back together again –_

This was her existence now. Everything, *everything* she now labelled as either 'BHD' or 'AHD' – 'Before his death' or 'After his death.'

Some days were better than others. She now had enough presence of mind to realise that she wasn't fully functioning, that she was broken, damaged goods.

She had her 'lucid' moments. During that brief window of time Pepper would know that she was letting depression and apathy have the reins of her life, that she allowed them to lead her down their dark, twisted paths without so much as a peek out of her mouth.

Briefly, this thought saddened her.

It saddened her that she could not be the person she needed to be in order to live. It saddened her that she couldn't be a mother to her son, because these days she couldn't even take care of herself.

Then the window banged shut, and she resumed her dysphoric state.

Nights were the worst. It was a struggle, always a struggle for something.

Sleep.

No sleep.

Dreams.

No dreams.

Breath-stealing anguish.

Debilitating grief.

She couldn't escape. This was her cage now.

Sometimes she dreamed of him, and those were always the worst nights, the *worst*. Bright images flashed in her brain and awakened her conscious, calling out to that battered thing that resided in her chest which lead her to feel again. She saw her beloved as he had been in life, glorious and exuberant. He'd been everywhere. With his wit, his brilliant mind, his charm … The images of him appeared to her as smoke and ghouls in the dead of night, inconsistent shadows of a life that could never be again.

Her love for him stabbed keenly, a wounded animal that cried out for an end, or for a renewed chance to be whole. Her nerve-endings were frayed by the overload of phantom feelings of his thrilling touch, at once so passionate and tender.

He'd been bright like a star in her life, her own sun. But in the end she'd had to let him go, because his body was too fragile a vessel to contain him. He'd burnt right through it, streaking brightly across her life like a comet. How she'd followed him. Instinctively, devotedly, for ever and always. He'd become her life, her everything. She hadn't meant for it to happen all those years ago, when she'd realised with a dawning sense of horror that she was falling in love with her boss.

Pepper had known it then. The harbinger that had spoken to her of her impending doom had visited her long ago. He would destroy her, utterly and irreparably. And he had; once gone, he was gone forever and he'd taken everything with him, her life, her future.

But whatever her life had become without her truly realising it (this, she still couldn't remember, and puzzled over it again and again) – she had found her purpose. It had flared when she'd woken up. Now this purpose burned bright within her. It was a furnace that had lit her up from the insides. She had to put everything behind her. She had to do it –

- Because she owed it to their son, the last living piece of Tony she would have.

Pepper had noticed things since her 'awakening'. Too many things just did not add up.

First. (Foremost in her mind, always her thoughts of him in his last moments.)

The funeral. Pepper had no recollection of that whatsoever. No matter how screwed up she may have become, she _should_ remember her—

Pepper stilled. She'd come to think that she should not trust her own mind these days. Waking up in a house that belonged to you, but which you no longer recognised, in a life that couldn't possibly be yours but which irrevocably was, would do that to a person.

It shouldn't matter though, it had to be her mind firing off again with the fractured splinters that made her question her own reality. And yet …

_No_, she decided. She couldn't let it go. Whatever it meant, it did mean _something_. It couldn't just be meaningless.

The thing was, Pepper did not.

(_Remember_.)

Her wedding.

(_I think I made you up inside my head_.)

Truly, there was a plethora of life events whose memory didn't seem to shadow her brain. His proposal. Their wedding ceremony. Their honeymoon – had they had a honeymoon? All the moments in between–

How long had they even been married?

How much time had passed before their child was conceived?

How? _How _could she not remember her own child's conception? What hope then, did she have in remembering his _name_?

Pepper questioned herself, long and hard. Tony's death had shattered her inside out, she knew that. It was as though from that day on, she'd split herself into another person, who had gone on spiralling out of control all the more in the absence of reason … and now that _Pepper_, the rational thinking woman with a great deal of common sense had returned, she couldn't make heads nor tails of anything. What kind of woman had she become, in absence of herself?

What kind of mother was she, to abandon her child, the last link to the man she'd loved so madly to a faceless person right when they needed each other the most?

None of it made sense! Pepper would never do that! No woman on the face of this earth could ever desire to be parted from their young right after the death of a loved one! She had gone weeks. _Weeks_. Without seeing her baby. It did not add up.

Many people did not remember her background when she'd come to work for Stark Industries. She had become infamous Tony Stark's faithful lackey/personal assistant long ago, until very few actually remembered that she'd started out as an accountant, with a number of degrees in this branch under her belt.

As an accountant, Pepper was used to making things add up. She knew how to make them work out just so.

And things here did _not_.

_ _ Add.

_Up.

Pepper didn't know what it was yet, where the heart of the matter lay concealed, the genesis of the problem – the source of it all going terribly wrong. But she was determined to work it out for herself and most of all for her child.

-o-o-o-o-

**KIDNAPPED DAY 7 – CONTINUED**

When Rhodey arrived at the house, Pepper was sitting in the living area, an afternoon tea set resting on the coffee table. She smiled wanly and hugged him in greeting, who briefly rubbed her back to show his support.

"How you doin' Pepper?"

"All right, I suppose. As well as can be expected. Would you like some tea?"

They sat down on the large sofa and drank the tea she had prepared. Rhodey looked … odd. He seemed to be both at ease and incredibly alert at the same time. Pepper puzzled over this, but gave no outward sign that she'd noticed.

"Rhodey there's something I need to discuss with you."

Rhodey set his cup onto the coffee table and looked at her, ready to hear what she had to say.

Pepper took a deep breath.

"We both know that I was out of it for a while there, after Tony's death. Now that I feel more like me again, there are some things that I need to sort out. First, I need to establish some kind of contact with Tony's lawyers, the will executors, what-have-you."

Rhodey nodded and remained silent. Pepper's voice wavered a little. "I need to see to our child's future. But before I can do that, I need to take care of me."

"I'm … I'm a _mess_, Rhodey, there's no hiding that. You've always been a very good friend, and I appreciate all that you've done for us. But now I need your help with something a little more practical."

Pepper told him that first of all she needed transportation of her own. She did not wander down to the garage, which had been shut for months, but Rhodey had told her that she no longer had a car.

Taking one of Tony's cars was … She wouldn't do it. She didn't want to touch any of the things he had loved, not yet. Those memories were far too precious and she knew that she couldn't emotionally handle something of that magnitude right now.

Then she would also need the phone lines connected to the network again, because even though she'd established herself in residence, there were still some things that needed her attention.

Amongst others, and also far more importantly, Pepper had to see to JARVIS' re-installation inside the house. The value of his assistance to her was incalculable; she badly needed his help in getting a semblance of order back into her life.

Rhodey listened, his face smooth and apparently understanding. Pepper felt better just talking it all out, like saying it out loud made the plans to get back in control of her life more concrete somehow, not just abstract projections of things that she wanted to do at some point.

She fiddled with the rings on her left hand –

And froze.

She looked down at her hand – more specifically at the two bands adorning her engagement finger. They were thin and looked to be made of platinum. One held a large oval ruby circled by diamonds. The other was smooth metal on the front, with tiny diamonds embedded on the inner side.

They were … Pepper felt another sense of loss as yet another memory was added to the long list of things that she couldn't recall clearly. They were her engagement ring and her wedding she had not realized that she was wearing them until now.

They felt heavy and alien on her finger.

A sense of disquiet stole over her. Pepper didn't feel like they belonged there. In fact, she wanted to take them off.

"Pepper?"

She snapped out of the daze and quickly looked up at Rhodey. His gaze was inquisitive.

"Sorry I was just … I meant to ask before, what is the situation over at the company?"

Rhodey did not answer, instead chose to ask her something back. "Is something wrong with your rings?"

Pepper lowered her eyes, feeling caught out. "Oh…No. I was just – I didn't realise I was even wearing them for a second there. Hey … Rhodey."

"Yes?" Pepper's voice was hesitant. She did not like having to always ask someone – mainly him, as he was the only person she saw these days – about things she did not remember. It made her feel like a child who had to look to her elders to be constantly taken care of. It made her feel like … her life wasn't even her own.

"Do you … remember … when Tony proposed to me? I mean, did he – talk to you beforehand? What was it like?"

There was no hesitation in his response, almost as though he had been waiting for it all afternoon.

He told her that a couple of years ago Tony had secretly come to him to tell him that he was going to propose to her. He showed Rhodey the ring stone and the designs for the bands, both her engagement band and their wedding bands. Designs, Rhodey told her, that Tony had drawn himself. There wasn't truly anything specific that he could tell her now, as it had all been very private. Pepper looked at the red stone on her finger, and a niggling feeling buzzed inside her again. None of this felt right. Not just because she couldn't remember it. None of it felt like _Tony_.

Tony had liked to flaunt and be flashy with his appearance, but he knew of her far more casual and reserved nature. Only once, early on in their working relationship when she had only been his assistant for a short amount of time, had he bought her jewellery that had not been her style. It had been one of his impulse-purchases done as a means of apologizing to her without actually saying the words. It had not been to Pepper's taste, and he accepted that. Next day a square box had been sitting on her desk, and when she looked inside, there was a beautiful pair of diamond studs twinkling tastefully at her. She'd worn those studs every day for over ten years.

This ring.

It wasn't a thing of Tony's.

Tony had known her. He had _known_ her tastes – they were some of the things he had quietly endeavoured to remember about her, in that wholly sweet way of his.

This ring was gaudy and excessive. Could he have paired it to himself because he'd been Iron Man, so the colours matched? That would be something he'd be utterly capable of doing, Pepper didn't doubt it. But … would _she_ have gone through with it?

Right now she hated seeing it in the most abstract sense, never mind the way she felt when she looked at it on her finger. It almost –

_Oh for goodness' sake! Now you're just being melodramatic!_

(But no. Go ahead. _Admit it_ to yourself.)

_It almost felt like an another man's ring._ There. She'd admitted it.

Rhodey rose from the sofa. "Well Pepper, I gotta head out now. I have a big meeting tomorrow morning, and there are still plenty of things for me to look over before the night is done. You know how it is."

He hugged her and held her close again.

For some reason, Pepper's skin went clammy when it came into contact with his.

Rhodey drew back to look at her face. "About those things you requested. I'll see to it that the phone lines are restored. In the meantime though, I would feel much better if you stayed in the house. Just to get your bearings, you know, to get a feel of the old place again. I'll come by tomorrow for lunch, promise. Take care hon."

He gave her a peck on her cheek and made his way towards the front doors.

Pepper spoke again and he stopped.

"What about JARVIS, Rhodey? When can I have him back here? His help would be inestimable to help me remember my life."

Rhodey pasted a solicitous smile on his face and nodded distractedly. "Of course, you're right. We'll see about that, talk some more when I have more time, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that he left. Pepper sank back onto the sofa. Even she could not describe to herself exactly what it was she was feeling in that moment. But it disheartened her to hear how reluctant her friend was in helping her. Maybe she no longer knew him as well as she once had.

On her finger, the red gem gleamed brightly in the waning light of the sunset. Pepper looked at it again. And she never realised it, but as her eyes stared down into the hard inner fractals of the ruby, she forgot completely what had just transpired, as though it had never happened.

Outside the house Loki smiled as he rubbed a ring on his finger that was identical to Pepper's.

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><p><strong>End of chapter seven. You know I can't go by without some readers' love. Let those nimble fingers fly over the keyboard and then hit that button, I know you're capable of it! Usual readers (thank you for stopping by every time and for sticking with me thus far!) and newcomers all welcome! :)<strong>

**Till next time,**

**Vesper.**


	9. Ignite

**AN: Hello dear readers! I'm back with another chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait. As usual, I hope you read and enjoy this, and then take the time to leave your thoughts, as that's the part I enjoy the most! ;)**

**A huge thank you to Moosey Mayhem, my fabulous beta-reader. She spent quite a bit of time with me on this chapter. I just couldn't post it until I was as satisfied as I could be, and she was very gracious about it - gracious enough to stay up long in the night with me just to lend her assistance.**

**Clearly, she is MOA - made of awesome. I dedicate this one to her. Luv you bb! :)**

**As usual, it's now reviews answering time, so if you reviewed the last chapter, read on to see what I have to say about your comments.**

**:READERS' CORNER:**

**Trinilynn - **Thank you for being the first to comment! My plans for this fic are huge and I'm enjoying myself so much in writing it. But the best part is definitely hearing from the people who read it, to tell me what they have liked and perhaps not liked so much, or even if all they say is 'good job' and 'can't wait for next update, want more!'. I never get tired of saying it, you readers are a vital part of this. I read once that a writer with no readers is just a neurotic, lonely person talking to themselves. (Aaron Cronin). That is certainly true for me.

I don't plan on making Pepper a damsel in distress; she may have her weak moments and will be facing hard times, where she will need all her not inconsiderable strength and her sharp wits. She may be weak sometimes, but she is in no need of rescuing just because she's helpless. In fact, I can't wait for your responses when you see just how strong a person she is!

Pepper's head ... that is fascinating place to be in for me. I try to get her into character as much as I can. Or at least the way I see her, imagine her to be. She is a woman who has endless patience, and a plethora of resources to fall back on. She's strong and determined, and I think you will be surprised by what you'll see of her in the upcoming chapters. I am extremely touched that the way I wrote her devastation and all-consuming grief has moved you so! I wanted to hug her too. Better buckle in for a rough ride this week-end, cuz there's more of that coming. ;) Thank you for leaving a review, and I hope to hear from you again!

**Gigi -** Yay, I made you a lovely gift without even knowing it! I'm glad you appreciated it so much on a special day. :)

It was surprisingly easy to write as far as chapters go. Conversely, chapter eight was reaaaally difficult, so sorry for the long wait!

As for her reaction to when she discovers Tony is actually ... you know ... ) You'll have to wait and see!

And last but not least, Loki's feelings. Hmm. This is a very delicate matter, and essentially the heart of the story. Loki is in a very bad place right now. He has no idea just how bad this place is going to become yet, because while he has carefully laid out plans for Pepper, there are going to be things he did not account for, and will never see coming. But to answer your question, without making it obvious to the other readers who may not have caught on yet ... it's heading in that direction, yes. Whether that is a good thing for our lady hero or not, remains to be seen though. Thank you as always for reviewing, I always look forward to your latest comment. I hope you stick around! :)

**Ursos - **WOW. I am so honoured by the words you have said! Thank you so much! *hug*While some of the things you said may not be necessarily true -I'm a talented writer, oh wow thanks!- I'm honoured more than anything that you appreciate my writing style so much and are loving the plot thus far. So. Basically this next chapter is like, written for you. ;) Hope I delivered! Thanks for the review, please write to me again!

**BelieverOFManyThings** - Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but I have an issue with posting something if I am not satisfied with it up to a certain degree. Please write to me again! :)

**LouBlue - **Dear Lou. I am particularly honoured by your reviews. I am a big fan of your MagOc as you well know, so I can't tell you how much your love for this fic means to me. :)

I have a problem with waffling as well, I always try to keep it to a bare minimum in fear of becoming boring - and then, just like you, I'm racked by the doubt that maybe, just maybe, the readers aren't understanding the point I am trying to make, or the story is not as intriguing as I would like it to be.

I think the descriptive side to my writing is probably the best, one of my strengths if you will, and it makes me happy to know that you appreciate it so much - again, insecurity such and such! ;)

I hope the questions I have raised as you read the story are also being answered, and that you are one satisfied reader. I hope this chapter has as much emotion for you as you thought there was in the first two, even if the structure and goal of this chapter is slightly different than those.

Loki: for someone who knew Loki, and probably still does, about as much as you, what you think of the way I'm portraying him as a character is one of the most flattering things I have heard so far. I did quite a bit of research on Loki, but not the Comic Character, rather the way he was portrayed by Tom Hiddleston, who is an unbelievably tall mass of talent and passion. He has a love for Shakespeare that is charming and uncommon I think, so he used it to inspire himself in the way he played the conflicted Loki. Also, that sentence you liked so much, about there "being daggers in Loki's smile"? Lol, I cannot lay claim to that one I'm afraid, I'm not Shakespeare. Anyway, I found Tom's views and opinions and genius to be very inspiring; I may not be writing Loki as good as TomHiddleston!Loki is, but I try to make it as close a match as I can. Glad you love this complex character so much, because he really fascinates me as well! As for the Old Norse, I looked up some things, and it pleases me that you appreciated this authentic touch. I wasn't thrilled with the way Pepper and Loki's first meeting came out once I was done writing it, but what I was trying to achieve was the simplicity of a moment that happens quite by chance, or bad luck depending on your views, and then make it the first pivotal point of the story. There is also going to be more humanity in store for Loki ... I'm not sure he'll like me for it, though. LOL.

Please accept my apologies with regards to the atrocious way I spelled Sydney in chapter four. Like you said, my typing sometimes gets away from my brain -or is the other way around?- and I did not notice, otherwise I would have corrected it before posting! Thanks for pointing it out ;)

And you were completely right about the jealousy thing with Loki. Jealousy is pretty much a part of who he is. Loki doesn't just feel it, he has learnt to co-habitate with it all his life, and now he has pretty much integrated it into his personality. It's who he is. I'm not saying that he HAS to be jealous about something. The way I see it, jealousy for Loki is vital and pivotal, the force that drives him. AS Oliver Stone put it, the power of jealousy and envy to destroy must never be underestimated. I think this is very true of Loki. Whether all this jealousy, along with the conflicted feelings and the essentially flawed character he is will help to finally accept himself remains to be seen. Pepper will have an enormous hand in this. Hope this helped you have a better image of Loki (as in easier to understand, he is not easy to love!), or at least the way I see him.

You still interested? ;) Very much looking forward to hearing from you again.

Readers, write, write, write! I live for it! Sorry for going on and on and on about things other people said, but I think it's important to reply to them whenever I have the chance to do it. On to the chapter now! ;)

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><p><strong><em>CHAPTER SUMMARY: <em>**_In which we catch up with Tony, who is most definitely not dead, and what he's been up to. Is he finally on to the right track to find Pepper? And how heavy a toll is this situation taking on his emotions?_

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><p><strong>*Chapter Eight: Ignite*<strong>

.

.

.

_I finally know just what it means_

_To let someone in_

_To see the side of me that no one does_

_Or ever will_

_So if you're ever lost and find yourself_

_All alone_

_Well, I'd search forever just to bring you home_

_Here and now_

_That's a vow_

(I'd come for you - Nickelback

.

.

**KIDNAPPED DAY 1: TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS**

The clock in his office read eleven thirty-five. The last time he'd looked at it, it had read eleven thirty-two. He was going mad! He felt like his sanity was slipping through his fingers as time traipsed on and no word still came.

_Where. Where could she be?_

Tony's brain worked at speeds that were unimaginable to most people. Only a select few possessed mental abilities at a level on par with his. He never miscalculated.

But he had miscalculated. _I shouldn't have let her go. I should have been here. I shouldn't have insisted she go on this trip without me._

Damn him. _Damn_ him! He always had to have the last word. He always had to have his own way.

Tony's modus operandi was mostly to listen to a very small number of people's opinions – probably mock them, and then promptly embrace his own. And now look what happened because of his own damn stubbornness, his short-sightedness. The unthinkable. The _unbearable_. This was his worst nightmare come to life. He was terrified out of his wits for her.

Short-sighted. Tony mentally snorted, burning with self-loathing and bitterness. He hadn't just been short-sighted, he'd been all of practically blind! When taking on the task of Iron Man, he had always envisioned putting _himself_ in harm's way, that the people he wanted to protect would never actually _be_ anywhere near danger because of it. He'd known that there were mad men who would love nothing more than to come after him. The consequence of this was that he'd had to sit down and figure out ways, multiple ways, of protecting the things he cared about.

She was at the top of that fucking list, the thing he loved most.

And he'd been blind to the possibility that someone _would _find a way to get to him by making her take the hit.

_*Putting out your fires and taking the heat for it!*_

A choked sob escaped him and he slumped onto his desk clutching his head, finding it hard to breathe.

He'd been so blind. How could he have been so fucking blind?!

He kept seeing her in his mind's eye, or everywhere he turned, her smooth long hair and her arresting blue eyes – most of all, the light in them when she was looking at him …His pain was visceral, like his innards were twisting around each other as they churned in desperation and fear.

The door opened softly and he raised his head to look at the intruder. It was Loretta, carrying what was undoubtedly one of the tea blends she made herself, hoping it would help to settle his shot nerves. She looked at him – and whatever was in his face must have been so raw that it tugged at her warm, caring heart. She closed the door and came to stand next to him. The tea was pushed closer to his head and he could feel its pungent aroma. Then he felt the soft touch of her hand on his shoulder. She was trying to comfort him.

He felt deep shame at being seen like this, a mess of a man crazed by desperation, face blotchy and bearing the evident signs of his crying. He kept his face buried in his hands, unable to look at her.

She seemed to understand though, because she did not speak. Loretta was a very grounded, wise woman, a realist. She probably knew that telling him things would turn out just fine was useless, because it wasn't true and it most certainly would not comfort him.

Her voice was low and her tone would have been soothing in any other circumstance but this one where Pepper's life—

Tony choked on his sobs again.

"Mason has alerted the police, sir, they're on their way. He also informed me that the man you were waiting to talk to, the sailing instructor, is approaching the premises and will be in to see you in fifteen minutes."

Tony needed strength. He had to search within himself and find the strength to carry on, for her sake. She needed him. His situation had not been so dire since his own kidnapping in Afghanistan, since the birth of IronMan. He'd had guidance then. Tony would never forget Yinsen, his pure motives, his mind, his heroism and sacrifice.

He knew what this felt like. It felt like he was back in that cave. It felt like his life was no longer his own and insanity threatened at the door, the only door that was an escape.

He straightened in his chair and looked at the tea next to his elbow. He wasn't hungry. He sure as hell didn't feel like drinking _tea_ and having cakes like everything was hunky-dory, but if it helped him regain focus …

He drank it in a few large gulps, not tasting the body of it in his mouth.

He got up and resumed his pacing and his thinking – if racing thoughts and scenarios two hundred miles a minute could be called thinking. There were so many things … What had happened? Where was she? Was she all right? Who had taken her? What were their intentions towards her? Was he about to receive a request of ransom for her life?

A knock sounded at the door. Tony halted abruptly and stood stiffly, body rigid and fraught with the tension he could not escape. "Come in."

Mason entered and announced the sailing instructor from OysterSun. He let the man inside the office and closed the door.

Tony looked at him with eyes hard as boulders, unrelenting and raw. They were unsettling.

"Make yourself comfortable."

The other man did as he was told and sat down on a chair in front of the desk, right in front of Tony, who was stood on the other side of it.

The man cleared his throat. "I work for OysterSun Sailing, Mr. Stark. I took Ms. Potts out on a catamaran today. We – that is, my crew and I- took her sailing for a couple of hours in the morning."

Tony's face was forbidding and shadowed. The other man felt twitchy and nervous, like he was being interrogated and any wrong answer might set off an explosive that would blow up in his face. "I want specific times. When did she leave? Where was the last place you saw her?"

"Well … I'm not sure when we parted ways, exactly. I mean, it must have been around lunch-time."

Tony's jaw hardened. "Lunch-time, nah uh-uh, I need you to be more precise. Come on! What time was it?"

"I—I'm not sure … I mean it was after twelve, but it might have been half past or, even quarter to one." The other man shrugged helplessly.

Tony's eyes narrowed and his expression was a grimace of fury, his body language aggressive. He fought to remain calm. "So which is it? After twelve, as in twelve o'clock … or, or what one pm? Come on, dammit!"

"Mr. Stark I am trying –"

"Stop trying to give me the information I want, and actually give it to me! Straight up, tell me what you know, what you remember about the last time you saw Ms. Potts! It was less than ten hours ago, how can you not remember something like that!"

"Sir, I understand you're upset-"

Tony raised his voice. "Don't! Don't give me that crap, that's not what I want from you! From the top."

"Okay. Okay, Ms. Potts came in this morning for her booked bay-sailing. I'm one of the instructors who works at the local recreational sailing agency, I'm the one who took her out."

"Keep going."

"Well, it was me with my three guys, the crew. We sailed for a couple of hours tops, mostly going around the bay and keeping close to the coast. Then Ms. Potts left, probably at some point before one this afternoon. That's all I know. I did not see her again."

"Did anything unusual happen in the time that you took her out in the boat, that you came back – even as she was leaving? Did you see her with someone, a tourist maybe?"

The man shook his head.

"Shevaughn, I need you to think carefully and tell me the truth."

The other man screwed up his face in slight confusion. "My name isn't Shevaughn, it's Sheron, Mr. Stark."

Tony tapped his feet impatiently on the floor and slashed the air with his hands. "Yeah yeah yeah, what else can you tell me?"

"Sir, that's all I know. Nothing unusual happened this morning. Not before Ms. Potts' arrival at the agency, not during our boat outing, nor when she left. Everything was as it should be, nothing out of the ordinary."

"What about log reports in your agency? Is there actual proof that what you've just told me is true?"

Sheron's eyes widened. "I swear, I've only told you the truth and what I remember!"

Tony looked at him silently, his gaze like thunder, gauging the sincerity of the man. He decided that he was being honest with him at least, as far as what he remembered went.

"All right you can go. Thank you for your help. Don't go far, though, I may need to speak with you again at some point. If you disappear, don't think I'm not coming after you. Are we clear?"

The man nodded and then left.

Tony logged onto his personal computer (the one with the untraceable IP and the StarkNet planetary internet connection.) He hacked into OysterSun Sailing's records, and scrolled for Pepper's outing appointment. He brought up the details of the file, and saw that it all checked out with that whats-his-face's version of events. So far, it looked like he was telling the truth. And for now Tony had to consider them to be people who could not know anything about her disappearance. Roughly ten down, potentially hundreds more to go.

He hacked into the resort's security feeds, and this had been a piece of cake. Anyone could have done it, and they could have seen that Pepper was due for an appointment with their spa that night, so if they were planning to strike, they wouldn't have had to work hard to plan their move.

Bile burned in his gut and his vision leaked red. It had all been so easy, so easy to get to her!

Whoever had done it, they'd known at the very least where she was going, because they'd timed it perfectly to make their move exactly in that small window of time where she would be out in the open and alone, defenceless.

JARVIS spoke to him via his phone. "Sir, I have been looking over security videos from the resort within the time-frame where Ms. Potts should have been within their premises, and I think you need to look at this."

"Bring it up on the screen."

Tony leaned in closer to the computer, where a window had just popped open of a video feed from security cameras of the hotel. He blinked, eyes bright and wholly focused on what was in front of him. "What am I looking at, JARVIS? How is this person relevant to Pepper's disappearance?"

"That sir, I believe, is a very important question."

* * *

><p><strong>End of chapter eight. What did you think? I know it was short, but chapter nine is coming before the week-end's out, I promise! Hope it was worth the wait, and your time. And if it was, let me know; if only to be featured in the READERS' CORNER, lol!<strong>

**Much love, **

**Vespe **


	10. If all else perished

**AN: you guys. You know how much I love you.**

**Chapter eight was actually the one you've just read PLUS this one. For editorial reasons it was split into two, to make it easier on you readers, because it was long and a LOT was going on, so I was worried it was too much to take in all at once. If that's not the case, I'd like to know about it, because when I end up writing 7k+ words chapters again, it would be great to know that I don't have to split them anymore. Splitting SUCKS. I won't do it again! **

**But anyway.**

**Moosey Mayhem ma gurl, with gratitude.**

**::READERS' CORNER::**

**BelieverOfManyThings - **happy you liked the setting and the pace, as well as the feels! ;) Will you be the first one to leave a comment again? Lol. Thank you.

**Beguilingirl - **sorry sorry sorry for that most cruel cliffhanger! I hope this chapter satisfies your need to know who it was in the video feed, because it's going to be a pivotal point for Tony. But you got it right! Well done! I can't describe how it feels to be 'crowned the monarch of tangible angst and gut wrenching despair' - not in a prolific manner. It feels *good* though. Squeeee. Thank you for that! *hug* I did re-read that part you mentioned, trying to see it the way you must. It makes me happy to have enchanted you with it! Please write again!

**Gigi - **gurl, you spoil me! *hug* I think you're going be more than interested when you see where I'm going with the Loki has feels he never wanted or expected thing. It's going to be *good* I promise. ;)

Sorry for the chapter length -see top of page for AN, it's all there- I promise not to do that again! What you said, about keeping the story all cohesive despite the character focus changes, and the jumping forwards or flashing backwards ... I am striving really hard for this. It's great to know that I have achieved it! And to know that you're impressed by it... that's even better! Looking forward to hearing from you again - hopefully signed in?

**Ursos, fantasia-49 - **Thank you! I'm so so happy you've told me about the feels this story stirs within you. I will strive to make it an ongoing thing. ;) There is some theme park of feels coming up next; buckle your seatbelts! And write again!

* * *

><p><strong><em>CHAPTER SUMMARY: <em>**_In which startling discoveries are made, and we learn how deep Loki's control truly goes. There are revelations in store for Tony. And Pepper? She starts fighting back. _

* * *

><p><strong>*Chapter Nine: If All Else Perished*<strong>

.

.

_Haunt me in my dreams_

_If you please_

_Your breath _

_Is with me now and always_

_It's like a breeze_

_- 'Haunt Me', Sade_

_._

_Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. - Edna St. Vincent Millay_

_._

_._

**KIDNAPPED DAY 8: LOCATION AS YET UNKNOWN**

Pepper sat on the cold floor in the darkened room, back against the wall, huddling in a corner and trying to make herself as small as possible. And in the darkness the savage screams continued.

The voices were raw and high, and they sounded either as if they were in great pain, or maybe they were just nameless monsters come to torture her, to eat her up in their bottomless paunches, and her skin crawled as she felt their hungry eyes on her.

One scream turned particularly vicious and Pepper stifled her own frightened sounds, her back hitting the corner behind her, reinforcing the fact that she was trapped.

"Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet, be quiet, be quiet, be quie—"

The monsters cackled. _Awww. _

-(Icy sweat trickles down her spine as it crawls in terror)-

**_You_**_ be quiet,_ they crooned, and their words were poison, serpentine tongues hissing down her ear-

-(Pepper's heart drops out of her chest)-

They were real, they were real, they were **real**, _they were_-

With a jolt borne out of abject terror she found her feet under her and sprang upright, then she bolted out the door. She ran towards the corridor and her terror blinded her. She couldn't think straight. She didn't want to turn around for fear of seeing them hot on her heels, so she kept her head down and ran, her heart in her throat. Her shoeless feet crashed down the wooden steps. Her instep bent wrong from the momentum of her mad escape, and she screamed as she bent forward, tucking in on herself, and tumbled heavily down the stairs.

When she opened her eyes, everything hurt down to her bones. There was silence now. The place was still dark, but at least she could not detect their presence any more. With a groan, Pepper forced herself off her back and into a sitting position. Nothing felt broken, which was good. She gingerly got to her feet, and a strangled moan escaped her as she bent double again, clutching her hip. It hurt a lot. She hoped it was nothing serious.

She couldn't stay in the house right now. Not after they had come. In her pained, confused, tired state, Pepper dazedly wandered over to the French doors that led out onto the patio overlooking the cliffs, wanting fresh air and open space. The grass felt cool and springy under her soles. She hobbled quietly over the turf, cautious in the dark outdoors. She lifted her face as her hair caught the wind and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes.

She opened her eyes.

Pepper was very familiar with the house, having lived in it both unofficially and then officially for well over a decade. She was familiar with its surroundings, and actually very fond to the point of glee of its small private beach.

She knew the sights, sounds, feels, and smells of it all.

Her amygdala told her that what she was smelling now had nothing to do with the memory scent of the salted ocean breeze. The air felt cooler as well, sharper. And it smelled nothing like the Malibu night breeze.

She walked forward, minding the obstacles in her path here and there, intending to reach the safety railings overlooking the drop straight down into ocean and jagged rocks. But she never made it that far. She was physically stopped by something. Having walked a certain way, Pepper knew that there was nothing in front of her for another ten steps until she reached the fencing. So that's why as soon as she came into contact with the mysterious something, she practically bumped into it and bounced backwards, stumbling until she landed once again on her rump. She dazedly looked up, squinting in the darkness. She felt confused. There should be nothing there!

She cautiously got to her feet again and stepped forward more slowly, mindful of the various aches that her body was beginning to manifest, not wanting to add more to the pain. Her hands were stretched out in front of her, feeling for the thing that halted her progress so abruptly. And then her fingers came into contact with something definitely unfamiliar. She puzzled over this. She couldn't see anything in the darkness, and the lights no longer functioned, so that problem could not be solved. She used her fingers and palms to form a mental picture of what she was touching, but this was difficult. The feeling underneath her fingers was peculiar. It felt thick and hard, and it was strong – she tested its strength, putting all her weight into it and _pushing_, but it did not give so much as an inch. She stretched her arms up above her as far as she could reach her. It seemed to be taller than she was. She walked sideways and still this barrier stood. How big was this thing?

_What the hell was it?_

It seemed to never end. Pepper knew for a fact that she had not reached the fencing yet, there were still a good ten steps to go, at least. And this felt nothing like the wooden bars warmed by the sun and smoothed by the sea brine. It felt like a wall. Only it wasn't made out of bricks, it wasn't even the glass the featured heavily inside the house, with all the windows and stunning views over the bay. This was something else. But she didn't know what it was. How could she not know what something in her own house was?! No one came here any more, except for Rhodey. No one lived here anymore, except for Pepper herself.

She tested the surface once again, looking for a break, a difference in textures, anything that might help her.

Her hands were tingling. She hadn't noticed that before. Why were her hands tingling? The cold?

Pepper felt the cold air as it nipped at her flesh, but her hands were the only things that tingled, so it couldn't be the cold. She walked up and down the length of the patio, but to no avail, the barrier stopped her, the barrier held, she couldn't reach the fencing. Pepper stopped prowling, feeling more and more the caged tiger that stared at nothing but the bars that had become its entire world, seeing nothing beyond them, for nothing else existed.

She was losing her mind; it was a sad truth. Her eyes told her that there was nothing, _nothing_ there in front of her except for the night air, the ground under her feet, the end of the patio practically a stone's throw away. And yet there was _something_ there that prevented her from going any further. But she could still see beyond it. It wasn't glass, she knew it wasn't. Pepper pressed her fingers up against it again, her palm flat on the surface. She paused.

It felt intangible. Invisible. Like it wasn't even there, except that it was. In-tan-gi-ble. She liked that word. It described this barrier aptly. Something that was there, but which could not be seen, only felt. Her mind had been playing tricks on her constantly, she should be used to it by now.

She rubbed her left hand, which felt strangely numb, briskly warming the fingers. Pepper squinted in the darkness, trying to see more but it was futile. Then she grew angry. She brought her left fist aggressively up to her chest and then swung forward, hard. She struck the surface and began pummelling it with both fists, making angry incoherent sounds. And that's when a bright hot flash of pain zinged her palms and fingers, her wrists, and travelled up her arms. She grew rigid from the pain and instinctively pushed away from the barrier with her hands with a startled yell. It burned her again and this time she screamed and backed away some more, cradling her abused hands to her chest in disbelief.

_It's never gonna end. I will always be trapped here!_

Pepper stumbled back inside and crumbled onto the sofa, her shoulders heaving with her sobs. Her hands burned like she'd placed them on the hot stove. And she was trapped here, trapped, yes, and her life was in shambles and thinking straight was like scaling , and _she'd lost her soulmate! _Pepper cried even harder, feeling desolate, inconsolable. Tony was _gone_, she was _alone_ and what was worse … she couldn't even remember their life together! Their engagement, their wedding, their marriage, their _son_ … she knew nothing of it. She would never see him again – never be in his arms again, never argue and make up – and she didn't even have memories to comfort her.

She brought her knees up to her chest and his her face in the cushions, crying until she could cry no more, until she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>That night the voices preyed on her weakness and pain like never before. She dreamed, but as she slept they still whispered in her ear, their hissing mockery, their loveless croons, cackling at her agony and stirring it up with their poisonous words until it became a cruel cycle.<p>

Even in her dreams she was exhausted. Perhaps that's what they wanted more than anything. To keep her in a constant state of exhaustion so that she couldn't think straight, couldn't go anywhere, couldn't do anything.

Then.

Her mind grew strong for a split second, and her own voice spoke up, the sound of it resonating inside her, louder than their voices.

_I would not bend._

_They can't make me pliable. My mind _is _strong._

_My mind is _mine_._

_My mind is MINE! My mind is my mind is my mind is my mind is my mind is—_

Then something happened. Her dream shifted entirely. There were no more voices. Not a ghoul was in sight, taunting and mocking her. She was no longer terribly afraid or confused. Instead she was somewhere she truly recognised. She was in the jet, late afternoon sun streaming in rays through the windows, fluffy white clouds prettying up the sky as they streamed past.

The leather seats were as comfortable as she remembered them. They smelled familiar and inviting. Pepper looked down and saw that her feet were bare, her toes pushing into the comfortable carpet. Her thighs flexed with satisfaction in their leather cradle, so comfortable and relaxing. She froze. There was someone sitting across from her. Pepper looked up—

And there he was.

Her heart slowed down and time ground to a halt, standing utterly still. Even the noise of the engines had been cut off. Silence reigned inside the interior of the plane.

His eyes caressed her face, and just looking at them – right there in front of her, so familiar and dear, so _warm_ and full of the quiet love he reserved for her alone – it was too much. She felt her very soul stretch out of the cramped corner it had tucked itself into, felt it expand with mutual emotion (breathless). Felt it heal over. She was whole once more. She was complete.

His smile at that very moment was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Tears tracked smoothly down her face, but she smiled back at him. He looked at her steadily, smiling, loving her again. Her heart filled with peace, and she sighed.

"Here you are."

His eyebrow raised slightly, his face charming and boyish in his humour. "Here I am."

Tears ran down her face again. She looked down at her lap and then raised her eyes again so that they could drink him in.

The wanting and longing was so strong that she couldn't breathe for it. He bent his head slightly but never lost the smile, his luminous, loving eyes never wavered from her.

"I miss you." She spoke tremblingly, her voice unsteady and fraught with all the pain and longing and love locked away in her heart. The look on his face did not change much, but it became slightly more solemn. "I miss you too. I can't even tie my shoes without you." He smiled in that particular roguish way of his again. All she could do was smile weakly back at him.

"Tony I'm scared."

He breathed in and nodded, then got up out of his seat and came to crouch onto his knees right in front of her. His hand touched her leg (_oh, it was heaven, it almost felt real_) and he cradled her face with the other, pushing her hair gently out of the way. Pepper trembled at his touch, like it was their first time all over again. She bit her lip in an attempt to stem the sobs threatening to break out of her.

"I know. It'll all be over soon. It'll be quick, you know, like ripping a band-aid. And it'll all be over."

His hand was warm on her face. He bent forward and pressed his lips gently against her knee, closing his eyes for a moment. Her own hand rose to caress his hair, cradling his skull tenderly, rubbing circles onto his nape. It might have been a day like any other, with the two of them travelling to some place, maybe for business, maybe for pleasure. At the end of the day they would retire back into the place they 'd be staying at, and they would go to bed, and talk about the stuff they normally talked about, close and sleepy.

Pepper looked into his eyes again. "This is a dream."

He smiled crookedly at her, laugh lines creasing his handsome face, his warm brown eyes lighting up. "Yeah…but it's a pretty good one. I mean as far as dreams with you in them go. I'd love it if you wore something else though. Like racy, incredibly sexy lingerie. Or that fantastic blue dress, the one with no back. I like you in blue. Then again, you look good in black and red, too. You're just out-of-control-gorgeous."

She laughed at him indulgently. She could feel it all about to end. She tried to savour these last moments with all her strength. Wanting to hang on to this with all her strength. She didn't want to go back. She wanted to stay here for ever, where it was safe and warm, where he was here with her.

"Maybe next time. I'll come more prepared. We could listen to some music, too."

Pepper turned serious and looked at him urgently. She was waking up.

"When will I see you again? Tony! When will I see you again!"

But Tony couldn't talk anymore. The sun light no longer filtered through the windows and the interior of the jet was plunged into utter darkness. A roaring sound deafened her ears, and Pepper realised that he was gone again.

* * *

><p>Tony jerked awake, surprised that he had fallen asleep without even realising it. It was very late, and there had been sluggish, very little progress. Papers were scattered on the desk in front of him, and he blearily blinked as the lamplight on the desk cut into his eyes. He had been dreaming – something. It was all fuzzy, his brain barely recalling the briefest flashes here and there. He'd dreamed something about being on the jet flying somewhere, and tying his shoes …<p>

He shook the dream away, and doggedly started up where he left off. If he slept, it was for a very short amount of time, and more often than not, it wasn't voluntarily on his part.

Eight days had passed.

And to Tony, it seemed like living in fear was all he knew anymore.

Fear for her safety. Fear for her life. Fear for himself, because never in his wildest dreams could he have predicted this. If he had been able to predict it, Tony would have … done _something_ to prevent this. _He was crazed_, the staff whispered. The loss of the woman he loved was more than he could take. Tony heard them talking about him sometimes, but he didn't care a rat's ass about it.

They were right, though. This experience had taught him the stark, naked truth; he couldn't live without her, whether it was in the most metaphorical or literal or even corny as hell sense. The more he tried to reason it out when he felt his own manic thoughts slipping out of control – the date and time, the whys and the hows and the whens of it starting (this all-encompassing, all-consuming love and need for this one person, when he'd sworn to himself it would never happen!) He couldn't come up with anything. It had been gradual. Slow, like a lazy Sunday morning, slow when nothing in his life ever felt like anything but fast, fast, fast.

Eight days.

And fear was all he was beginning to know.

Apart from the obvious fears, perhaps more than anything…his greatest fear (except for the agonising and crippling thought that he could end not ever seeing her again), was memory.

He was beginning to forget things about Pepper. And at first he hadn't realised it.

Small things like the way she bent her neck when she was brushing her hair. How her hands smoothed over her skirt during business hours when she felt nervous. Sometimes she pressed her lips together when she heard something (pertaining to him, to the company) that was painful. It was her ouch response. And then …(breath become strangled) … then there was her voice. Her touch. Tiny nuances of all these things, he was beginning to not recall properly. Because he hadn't ever taken the time to study her so well that he would remember it all, every little breath, every little word, every single move.

Time had grounded to a halt -

- And suddenly he felt it speed up again.

Tony shook himself awake and became manic, hyperactive once more, the restless man at work, the determined man on a mission – perhaps the most important mission of his life. He was going to find her and bring her home, safe and sound. There was no other option. There was no other plan.

He briefly looked at the time and saw that it was very late into the evening. There was a platter of food on a cart next to the desk, which … someone, probably Loretta… had left for him to eat. His dinner. It lay untouched. He had no time for that now! No time for anything except to find her! Who knew what she was living throu-

NO. _Don't think like that Stark, don't think like that! Just focus on finding her for now. Madness lay in talk like that! Focus._

The police had no leads, but that was all he was interested in with regards to them. He wasn't waiting around for their investigation, he was doing his own. And since no ransom note or contact attempt had ever come, it was all he could do look over the same things again and again, in the hopes of seeing something that could help him.

Tony rewound the video and watched it again and again. Then he pulled up the blueprints of the hotel layout, and it didn't take long to figure out which camera he'd been looking at, and its position.

When implications were glass-clear in his head, he went breathless.

"JARVIS, use your SPAT Telescope, and look over the feeds of this time-frame, in this area of the island."

"The SPAT Telescope may not be all that useful, sir. Its satellite vision cams may not have recorded anything in this area in the time-frame relevant to Ms. Potts' disappearance."

"Don't argue with me! This is Pepper we're talking about! I won't leave anything untried that could help me understand what happened, and how to locate her. Get to work!"

"Yes, sir. I apologise. SPAT Telescope scanning commenced, estimated time of completion: three am."

* * *

><p>The video footage played over again and again on the screen. The door opened on the side of the building, a staff's entrance, and a black woman wearing a hotel uniform stepped out, shutting the door behind her. She pulled a packet of cigarettes out of her pocket and lit one, inhaling deeply, soon surrounded by the smoke. Things looked completely normal and not at all interesting.<p>

That is, until she abruptly looked to her right, almost as though she'd heard something, facing the direction of the camera, which rested up above her and provided a bird's eye point of view of the ground below.

The image wasn't very clear, and it was grainy and in black and white, in the darkness of the evening … but the frown on the woman's face could still be made out. She looked puzzled for a second, then shrugged and turned away from whatever she'd seen, puffing on her cigarette and crossing her other arm on her ribcage. Her head moved slightly from side to side, almost as if she was shaking it in denial, but this was mere speculation.

It all happened in thirty seconds.

She suddenly whipped her head round again, looking in the same direction as before. Whatever she was seeing was upsetting for her. Her cigarette hung slack from her mouth and then tumbled unheeded to the ground. She brought up her hand to cover her mouth, and it looked like she was gasping in dismay. She looked shocked, and – _afraid._ Whatever she was seeing, she was afraid.

She stood frozen like that for a handful more seconds, then she stumbled backwards, grasped the door and practically ran inside, banging it shut.

Thirty seconds. The time between her stepping out and lighting a cigarette, her odd and frightened reaction to something invisible to the camera, and then her hasty retreat back inside.

Tony's gut instincts had awakened again. They'd been brewing up a storm inside him in tandem to the hurricane that had suddenly swept destructively into his life, and swept away the thing he cherished the most. He was –

_God._

He was back in that cave again. Helpless, burning with anger, unable to think or see straight. But this was worse. Oh, this was so much _worse_. At least then all that had happened or could have happened would have been on his own skin.

But Pepper –

He would not rest.

He would not stop.

He would turn over every goddamned rock in every corner of the planet until he found her.

Tony sat back in his chair. The video feed from the hotel camera played again and again on a loop on the computer screen, no more than a few minutes long. He stared at it as if trying to see through the screen and into the physical place the camera was pointed at. Then he dived for the phone on the desk and dialled.

* * *

><p>"No! NO!"<p>

Loki made a feral sound, speechless with fury. She had confounded him again, and somehow found a way out of his hypnos-visions into a dream of her own making. Only it seemed that she'd gone all the way, and made contact with Stark in her dreams. How could she have done it?! She'd been in his grasp this entire time. This should have been _impossible!_

She'd done it again. She'd surprised him again, and he had no knowledge of how she'd done it.

Curse her! Curse her power and resourcefulness! And curse Stark, too! None of this would have happened if she did not feel so strongly about him!

But it didn't matter. Loki realised he might have been too lenient towards her. No more. This time he would bring out the bigger weapons. This would be the last time she'd thwart him. He opened his eyes and stalked in search of her.

Some bonds defy distance and time and logic. Because some ties are simply meant to be. Loki did not understand this, though. All he knew was that his precious captive, whom he thought thoroughly subdued, had somehow found a way to reach out to her lover across distance and time with her soul via dreams. And this simply would not do. His ire rose at the thought of them inside that plane, at the restoring strength the dream had had on her mind and soul. In his mind's eye he saw again when Stark had crouched in front of her and then kissed her knee reverently. The way she had extended her hand and tenderly caressed Stark's head … A feral growl exploded out of him and his fists clenched.

"More." As he stalked with purpose to the place his captive resided, Loki's eyes glowed red and his hands crackled with magic.

* * *

><p><strong>Apparently I'm a monarch of angst and gut wrenching despair. Follow the queen, oh loyal minions. She adores you all - and your comments more. <strong>

**;)**

**One last thing: the 'SPAT Telescope' is solely of my own invention. Don't be looking it up on Google - I'm expecting NASA to come contact me about it, and am ready to patent it. Until then, it is a SPying SATellite Telescope, which zooms in on a specific area of the Earth at certain times, all casual, and records what it sees of the ground, the people, vehicles etc. How do you think Iron Man knows exactly where to go to kick ass when no news reports have been made about rogue situations yet?**

**Write on mah lovelies!**


	11. The gap in the constellation

**AN: I'm very sorry this chapter took so long guys. That's all I can say.**

**Things are heating up, and the more the story progresses the fussier I become, worried about delivering a certain standard of writing and an enjoyable read. I hope I've succeeded. Thanks must go to my beta, The Thinking Woman; even when she has little time for this nonsense, she doesn't hesitate to lend a friendly ear.**

**READERS' CORNER:**

**LouBlue: **Kudos for guessing correctly ahead of time; the 'woman who saw' is indeed very important, and you'll see more of that now.

As for Pepper pushing limits and buttons, and Loki's control ... well; I hope you enjoy this one, because this is the first stage of what I have planned for this story and their development. Pepper's involvement in Loki's existence is going to be crucial for ... read to find out! Love your MagOc, I hope you carry on leaving me your comments and that you like this story as much as I do yours. :) *fellow writer hug*

**Trinilynn: **Lol, thanks for your continued readership, it means a lot; especially since you want to do our boy Loki such violent body harm. ;) I hope the side of him you'll see in this chapter will live up to your expectations of my portrayal of his character ... and also, that it may stir such strong emotion in you, albeit maybe not quite so violent ... but then who knows? Maybe you'll love to hate him even more? ;)

**Yoruichi89:** Welcome to the fold new reader! I'm happy you love this story so far, I hope you'll continue to enjoy it so much and to hear about your point of view again. :)

**AnnieO741: **You as well, welcome to the fold! :D Yay for being sucked in, and for reviewing! Also, the appreciation you hold for my unpredictability means a lot to me. Writing this story in a way that is not clichè, as a plot that is completely original, I always try very hard to deliver the very best I am capable of.

You better put your seatbelt on, wouldn't want your-edge-of-the-seat to cause you harm because things are heating up!

I thank you for the cookies and I hope you don't wish me dead for the long wait! *bows*

**General confession: **Yeah, so I have plenty to say. Sorry, I have feels. This chapter was ... probably the hardest one I have had to write of the bunch, and I'm sure this will only be true until the next mammoth difficult chapter comes along. It's just the way this story has been brain-stormed. It's also because I am a very fussy person when it comes down to my art, and writing is one of the main artistic indulgences of mine; probably the most important one.

Thank you, dear readers, for keeping your interest alive, for giving me the incentive to carry on writing knowing that someone out there wants to read and find out how this is going to end - incidentally, we've a LOOOONG way to go before the end, heh I hope you'll be here for the ride.

It was my birthday this week, and I have received some amazing presents, which I am enjoying to the fullest. A person like me with inherent artistic tendencies can only soak up so much enjoyment from certain things, and it's all been very exciting. This is my gift to you guys, ending the time of reflection and recuperation, and giving you the next instalment.

Sincerely,

Enjoy and keep on writing to me, you wonderful, wonderful people. Vesper x x x

* * *

><p><strong>*Chapter Ten: The Gap in the Constellation*<strong>

I am torn open, unabridged, hot and a bit crazy inside. This is the feeling which belongs to me. She has always been mine. - Coco J. Ginger

* * *

><p><strong>-KIDNAPPED DAY NINE, LOCATION UNKNOWN-<strong>

_"When will I see you again? Tony! When will I see you again!"_

Pepper jolted awake with her heart beating a mile a minute in her chest and Tony's name on her lips. She was huddled on the sofa, and drenched in a cold sweat. The room was dark, and so was the world outside the windows.

The utter stillness of the room stifled her. She weakly rested her weight onto her elbows, then sat up and leaned tiredly against the backrest. Her skin felt clammy and as though it had been dragged mercilessly through sandpaper; any fleeting touch, from the very clothes she was wearing, to the fabric of the sofa, dragged painfully on her skin and set her nerve endings on fire.

Pepper squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the cushions underneath her as a wave of nausea and dizziness swept over her.

_"Here you are…" _Her heart clenched.

_"I miss you too."_ And then she was crying, sobbing uncontrollably. Big gulping breaths. Fire licked her lungs; unrestrained harsh cries and the pain would never stop. His name on her breath a desperate, desolate prayer.

_—(I need you)—_

_-"Here you are."-_

_-"Here I am."-_

Here I am.

The alien (_hated_) weight of the rings on her left hand tried to squeeze her finger harder. With a convulsive movement Pepper grabbed the large engagement ring with her fingers, and tugged.

It did not come quietly, almost as if it had been welded onto her flesh. The harder she fought to take it off, the more painfully her head ached. She didn't care. She wanted it off now.

The ring started growing hot under her fingers and she exhaled sharply. It wouldn't budge. She'd take it off if she had to cut her finger off. Bright lances of pain shot down her arms, but Pepper ignored them. The platinum became uncomfortably warm. She fought even harder to take it off-

Then millimetre by millimetre it began coming loose. First phalanx. Middle of her finger. With a mighty wrench it came free. Pepper clenched her fist around it, uncaring that the large stone cut into her soft flesh, and then she angrily hurled it to the other side of the room. It hit the wall and landed with a dull thud on the floor. Pepper breathed hard. Next up, her wedding band. When her fingers returned to her left hand to remove the other ring, she discovered it gone. In the dark she fumbled with her fingertips over her palm and knuckles. But it truly was gone, almost as if it had never been there.

Pepper stilled.

Her mind had suddenly become more 'awake', and it began bombarding her conscience with memories, images and sensations, sights and sounds.

Her breath just about died out as memory returned.

_-A dark balmy night in the Caribbean.- _

_-Palm tree fronds swishing in the gentle breeze that tasted of ocean and warmth.- _

_-Soft sand under her feet.- _

_-Her spine crawled with a terrible sense of looming danger… and then there was darkness._

Her mind was trying its hardest to catch with events, to make sense of it all. There was a bigger picture here to behold. And it was clear that up till now, she had seen but a tiny corner of it. She needed to take a step back.

The last thing she remembered which made sense was … their break. Turks and Caicos, Saadet House, the beach, sailing.

How long ago was this? And then… and then …

Oh, she had to remember. Something vital was escaping her. She knew it would help her make sense of what was happening to her.

Tony had surprised her by arranging for a break in the Caribbean, just the two of them. On the day of their departure something had come up at the company which required Tony's presence, but he'd insisted that she go on ahead. She took the jet, landed in a paradise island, and went to the villa he owned. She'd spent that day sailing and looking around the bay, taking photographs, walking on the beach, sunbathing –

Photos. She'd taken photos of her trip.

Pepper sprang up from the sofa and went in search of her laptop. There was no trace of it in the office. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd seen it. She went upstairs and looked into the bedroom and the guest suites. Why couldn't she find her laptop? But then her camera was nowhere to be seen either.

What the hell was going on?

She needed help.

"JARVIS, where—" Oh no. No, wait. There … there was no JARVIS… he'd downloaded himself into the company servers, removing himself from the house.

_Wait, what?_

_Why would JARVIS_ –

Nothing made sense. Why would JARVIS, who had been created with the sole purpose of running the house and aiding Tony in his workshop, remove himself from the servers and install himself permanently over at the company?

When had this happened? Dammit, why didn't she remember _anything?!_

"JARVIS, override protocol thirteen, access code beta dee dee two three seven."

By design this override protocol would make JARVIS halt all operations except for house safety measures, and be ready to assist. He would respond immediately.

There was no answer. He truly wasn't here.

Pepper fought back the feeling of loneliness and loss and picked up the phone – but there was no dial tone. She stared at it, confounded and increasingly frustrated. In a sudden burst of anger, she hurled it towards to opposite wall, where it hit with a crash and crumpled in a broken heap on the floor. She breathed in deeply through her nose, and slowly exhaled through her mouth, again and again, in with the good out with the bad, until she felt calmer. Pepper was good at solving problems. She'd had to learn the ropes pretty quickly when Tony had made her his PA, because having so many aspects of his life to run entailed a certain learning curve in approaching problems and overcoming speed-bumps.

She would get to the bottom of this. Whatever the hell was happening, she would see the situation for what it was, and immediately begin to strategize ways of getting herself out of this fix.

This _would_ end.

* * *

><p>Loki grabbed the object nearest to him, swung it over his head and brought it crashing down onto the cabinet in front of him, repeatedly. The glass shattered loudly and sprinkled everywhere, liquids running down the furniture towards the floor, bottles smashing and glass shattering.<p>

After he'd discovered that Pepper had managed to get past his psyche containment wards and escaped his dream dimension, he'd been almost apoplectic with rage. He still didn't know how she did it.

She'd managed to enter into a dream of her own making and her psyche somehow made a connection through time and a lot of space (thousands of miles of it) with Stark's psyche. They had effectively been in the same dream together. It was rare. It was almost unheard of for the people of this realm, because they didn't possess the powers, nor the skills to control such a thing.

And yet _she'd_ done it.

For the umpteenth time, Loki wished that his powers had not been so greatly reduced. If only he still had the ability to travel out of Midgarðr and go stepping through the realms, the things he could do to her! But the great All-faðr must have known that this would truly damn him, these shackles, because he'd made damn well certain that it could not be done.

Curse him and his ilk! Curse Thor, the Æsir and all of Ásgarðr!

Loki knew what Odin had tried to do in his punishment, by sending him here; it was not by chance that Loki had been punished in the same manner as Thor, when both were cast out of the heavens and into Midgarðr for their deeds. Yet the foolish old man had left a way back for Thor to use; all he'd had to do was to grow up and develop a sense of empathy towards others, to stop nourishing his own selfish ego and voilà, his power was restored and he could go back.

No such measures for Loki though, oh no. Loki had been cast out for an indefinite period of time, several mortal lifetimes for all he knew, and with no certain way of returning. There was no way of knowing when he would be free again. There was no Mjölnir for Loki. The All-faðr had taken back Güngnir, so that was that. Loki was left here, alone and helpless.

_The least favourite son, in the least friendly conditions. The Scourge of Ásgarðr, tumbled down to Earth and forced to stay there to rot._

He picked up a large piece of glass and felt satisfied as it crumbled to dust under the force of his squeezing fist. Oozing red welled up in his palm. Loki grimaced and lowered his arm, uncaring of the wounds on his hand.

Very well, then. If Pepper Potts wanted to have a game of who was the strongest, she would soon come to realise that no one played with the Trickster God and won. Certainly no lowly mortal quim.

And if he couldn't rely on his powers of auld … well, the arcane was here on Earth, too. Loki was sure he'd find something to suit his purposes. He had been going about this in the wrong manner. Perhaps it had been slightly foolish of him to imagine that Pepper would remain trapped inside the illusions he had crafted for her inside her mind; he'd underestimated her. That would stop now.

_If illusions didn't quite do the trick any more … if she no longer succumbed to the power of the enchanted ring … there were other ways to enslave someone._

* * *

><p><strong>-KIDNAPPED DAY NINE, TURKS AND CAICOS-<strong>

Tony waited to be put through to Chris Lawson.

After the video clip he'd seen, the implications of it, and the coincidences with Pepper's disappearance, he was leaving nothing to chance. This was the only trail he could follow for now, because whoever had taken her had made sure to leave no trace behind, except maybe for this.

"Hello, Tony? I heard there's still no news on Ms. Potts' whereabouts. How can I help you?"

"Yeah, Lawson, I need you to do me a big favour."

"Of course, anything I can do to help. I feel responsible for this. For not raising the alarm sooner."

_Good_. _You should feel responsible._ Who was at fault here? And who could be held accountable for Pepper's disappearance? _Me. I'm at the very top of that list._

"Listen, I have to talk to some members of your staff. Set up a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. I especially want to speak to every and any person who might have been outside of the building that night for any length of time between quarter to seven and quarter past."

Chris sounded hesitant. "Well … I mean, I have a lot of staff working here at the resort, Tony. Not all of them will be working here everyday. Contacting them all and setting it up by tomorrow morning is imposs—"

"I don't wanna hear that word. I'm not asking you Lawson, I'm telling you. Get me that meeting. I want them _all _there tomorrow morning. No. I don't care what it takes, just do it!"

Tony ended the call and turned towards the computer screen. He'd hacked into the police's systems to gain access to Pepper's missing person file, and the documents were now up on the screen for him to see. All the statements the police had taken, the house search results, the scouring reports, it was all like a tale that still seemed a nightmare to him, an impossibility. There were few leads. Whoever had taken her, they'd obviously timed it all perfectly. Just as she left the premises unescorted and in the dark of night, someone swooped in and took her, leaving none of her possessions behind.

The picture was incomplete to put it lightly. _But then the fuckers only treated the case as a an abduction instead of a general missing person, for a couple of days. 'Protocol dictates that we begin the enquiry no less than twenty-four hours after her disappearance. And only if the investigation brings to light certain elements, can this case be considered as abduction by a third party.'_

His closed fist tapped rhythmically on the desk, head bowed and eyes closed. Tomorrow morning he would get in the suit and resume his search for her on the islands. So far, he'd flown as soon as it was light over a grid of several thousands square miles. The islands had a thick vegetation and were pretty isolated in the middle of the ocean. There was a lot of ground and sea to cover, even for Iron Man. There was no way to tell where she could be. For all he knew, whoever had taken her had left the islands by now and taken her only god knew where.

Tap-tap. Tap-tap.

_You gotta stay calm and keep focused. You know this; you've been through it, you know what it's like. If you stop thinking clearly you'll go under. It's not a luxury you can damn well afford._

Tap-tap. Tap-tap.

The bar was fully stocked with his favourite liquors. His longing for a drink was strong, but then he thought about letting his mind become befuddled by alcohol, and the resultant inability to look for Pepper, and so he kept his throat dry.

"JARVIS, from the top."

JARVIS spoke in the way Tony always found soothing, and he followed the mapping out of Pepper's day on the island as windows came up on the screen. Next JARVIS outlined the police investigation, and highlighted the locations on the map where Iron Man had already been to as he looked for her. There was a summary of findings from the searches carried out on all ships and planes leaving the islands.

Then there was that video.

Tony needed to speak to this woman as soon as possible. The more time passed and he looked at it, the more he was convinced she'd have something to tell.

The next morning Tony was early to his appointment with Chris. They wasted no time with chit-chat and conventional pleasantries, getting straight to business.

Although Chris, and the Spa Manager had already given statements to the police, he knew that his co-operation would be of a different degree now that Iron Man was involved.

He'd wanted Stark to do his questioning in several sessions with a pre-arranged group of employees; it was the most sensible and practical thing to do. The Shambhala was still open for business, and to meet his distinguished guests' requirements, Chris needed his staff. He'd tried to explain this to Tony but had been met with such obstinacy that in the end he'd had to fold and accept his terms.

Basically, the hotel would be all but shut down for a few hours, as long as it took for Tony to do his thing. Chris wasn't happy about it, but after all what else could he do? It was clear to him that his staff had already messed up when Miss Potts failing to turn up to her appointment hadn't been pursued whatsoever. If a phone call had been made to Stark's residence about why she was late and then failed to turn up, the search for her would have begun well before Stark's arrival on the island almost three and a half hours later. A lot could happen to someone in that period of time, especially under such circumstances.

"Before we let your staff in here, there's something you have to see."

Stark took a pen drive out of his pocket and inserted it into Chris' computer. A video file was brought up, and Chris watched the screen intently.

At first he was surprised to recognise his hotel's grounds on the footage, but when he studied it, he realised that it was footage from one of his hotel's security cameras. Confusion as well as anger welled up in him. How had Stark gotten a hold of this?

_He must have hacked into the system_, Chris realised. He looked up at Tony's impassive face for a second, feeling disconcerted at the lengths the man was willing to go to, and what he was capable of.

"I suppose that if I asked you how this came to be in your possession, you would tell me that it's not important, am I right?"

"You are." Tony's faced was carved and set in stone, his gaze penetrating.

"So then what exactly does this have to do with your circumstances?"

"That woman," Tony pointed back to the screen, where the video played on loop, "I assume, is one of your staff. At the time when Pepper was probably taken she was outside the building, and saw something that she found disturbing. I want to know where I can find her."

Chris nodded and got to work. In a short amount of time, he'd arranged for the woman to be identified and summoned to his office. In the meantime, Stark's right-hand man was interrogating as many employees at a time as possible, but it was a long process.

Once the woman who might have seen arrived, she was immediately waved through into Lawson's office. She looked unsure of herself and obviously uncomfortable.

Stark swooped towards them like a bird of prey and drew towards the computer again. Lawson stood to one side, arms folded and an with expectant expression on his face.

"Tanesha, thanks for coming so promptly. Won't you make yourself comfortable?"

"Have I done something wrong, sir? My supervisor wouldn't say nothing."

"No, you've done nothing wrong. We, that is my friend and I, would like to talk to you about something which happened not too far from the Shambhala, about ten days ago."

Tanesha wrung her hands in her lap and fidgeted. Her gaze flickered from her boss to the dark man standing across from her, who fixed her with his unwavering stare, making her squirm.

Lawson spoke up. "You must know, of course, about the woman who disappeared a few days ago and is now feared to have been kidnapped."

Tanesha nodded.

"Now Tanesha, the reason we wanted to talk to you—"

"I'll take it from here." Lawson abruptly closed his mouth as his friend interrupted him, then walked over to the bar on the other side of the room. Tanesha followed her boss with her eyes as far as she could without turning her head. When he was behind her, she turned back to look at the other man.

She studied him silently and realised distractedly that he wasn't imposing because of his height, but because of the sheer dangerous grace and power he radiated. Clearly he had a strong personality. The unyielding line of his mouth and the deceptively relaxed muscles of his shoulders were proof of it. Tanesha looked him in the eyes again, and immediately wished she hadn't; there was something in them that she found deeply unnerving. If she hadn't been sitting down, she was sure that her knees would be quaking right about now. His eyes were alert in a way that she couldn't fully comprehend, and the light in them was unsettling.

When he spoke again his voice was steady and his tone of voice commanded both her attention and obedience.

"Do you know who I am, Tanesha?"

In her mounting distress, Tanesha noticed other things about him; he stood remarkably still as he bore his eyes into her, but there was an air of kinesis around him, as if he'd pounce at the drop of a hat. He looked more than capable of it. Birds of prey moved that way, suddenly and so fast that their prey had no hope of salvation, and Tanesha felt like the proverbial rabbit about to be snatched into the predator's razor-sharp talons.

She cleared her throat.

"You the one who fly everywhere, all red and gold, looking for that woman. You Iron Man."

He nodded. Iron Man betrayed no expression on his face, just like when he wore the mask.

"Then you know why I'm here."

Tanesha looked down at her lap, her hands clasping at the material of her uniform. She didn't reply. There was a heartbeat of silence; then Iron Man stepped imperceptibly closer to her. Tanesha tensed and drew back against the seat, trying to put as much distance between her and what she perceived as danger, as she could.

"Why the silence?"

Tanesha couldn't look at him, but her heart beat sickeningly fast in her chest. When Iron Man moved again, it was so fast that she didn't see it. He walked back towards the desk, pressed a single key on the keyboard and turned the screen the other way so that it was facing her. Tanesha automatically looked at the screen. There was a video playing, of someone stepping out of a building and lighting a cigarette. With a feeling of dawning dread Tanesha realised she was looking at herself. She was the woman in the video.

Who was now turning to look at something the camera couldn't see, and as the video in front of her played out, her mind played its own images of that night like a movie reel.

She lit her cigarette, looked towards the far side of the court with the palm trees behind it, to the two figures barely discernible. She watched as the taller one grabbed the smaller figure in front of him, a woman with long hair, and forcefully dragged her back into the darkness of the trees, where they both went out of sight.

Iron Man looked at her impassively. He knew that she'd seen. He'd come for her.

"Why didn't you come forward and tell anyone about this?"

"I'm scared someone come find me. Scared of talking, 'case the police thought I had something to do with it."

"But you're actually making things worse for yourself by not saying anything, because now it just looks suspicious."

"Whut you wanna know?"

Iron Man's eyes caught fire, and she looked into the face of anger.

"What do I want to know? What do you think, I wanna know how you feel? Tell me what you saw dammit!"

Tanesha flinched. "Well… I … went out for a smoke. Everythin' s always quiet at that time o' the evenin'. Then I hear someone shoutin'. When I saw them I figured they was fooling around, cuz people on vacation here do that a lot. Then they shoutin' again, so I look at 'em again and this woman is on the other side of the court-yard. Someone thar, behind her and then she gets grabbed and they disappear into the trees. That's all I know."

"What did this person look like? And the woman? Can you describe what she looked like?"

"No, it was dark, I couldn't tell from all the way over where I wuz."

Iron Man pulled out a photo and showed it to her. "Is this her? Is this the woman you saw?"

"I dunno."

"Come on, look at her. Is that who you saw?"

"I dunno. Didn't see her face."

"Look at her. She's pretty hard not to notice with a face like hers and hair that colour."

"Ah didn't see the woman's face, she wuz turned. And it was too dark, and I was too far away. But she had long hair like that … I think … and it looked like … blonde maybe. It wuzn't dark hair fo' sure…That's all I know."

Iron Man tucked the photo away. "So it was her? Was she alone?"

"Ain't no one else thar, 'cept the one what grabbed her."

"And what did they look like?"

"It was dark-"

"Stop telling me it was dark, I get it! There must be something that you saw, that made you recognise some of their features, their gender, their age!"

Tanesha bit her lip, trying not to fold in on herself under Iron Man's blazing anger. "It was a man."

"Yeah? And what was this man like?"

"He … he wuz big, you know, real tall. Woman looked very small compared to him."

"And did you see his face? If the woman was turned with her back to you, you must have seen his face. You must have seen him coming."

The condemnation in Iron Man's tone brought guilt bubbling up in her gut. Tanesha fought back against the tears that threatened to fall, but her voice couldn't hide them. "I … I din'! I didn't see nothin'! I only turned when I heard shoutin'…He was taller than the woman, he looked tall from a distance. He had long dark hair, but I din' know whut was happenin', I swear!"

"How could you? How could you not realise that the woman was crying out for help while this tall menacing man stepped out of the darkness behind her, grabbed her and took her away with him? That's assault! That's abduction! How could you not get what was happening!"

Tanesha was sobbing now as she looked up at Iron Man, pleading. She didn't want to lose her job. She was a good person. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please! I din' want to hurt nobody, I swear! I din' know what he was doin' to her! I was scared. I was – I was in shock! I din' know what to do!"

"Did he hurt her? When he grabbed her, did he hit her?"

Tanesha sobbed. "I dunno – I – I – he just grabbed her and went back into the trees and I din' see them no more! I dunno whut he did!"

"Didn't you hear anything else, no more shouting? Didn't she scream?"

"No, no, I heard nuthin', that's why I thought it was people foolin' aroun."

"So then what? You ran back inside, and went back to your job like nothing had happened? You didn't speak to your supervisor about what you saw?"

"No. I din' know it was serious! I din' know it were bad!"

"That's no excuse! When the police started searching for a missing woman who'd probably been kidnapped, didn't it occur to you that what you saw might have been relevant? Didn't it occur in that head of yours that you might have been a witness to an ABDUCTION! OF A HELPLESS WOMAN! Who needed HELP! That you might have helped if you'd told the police?"

Tanesha cried brokenly, huddled on the seat. Iron Man was heartless, he wasn't moved by her tears. "If you'd immediately told someone what you'd seen, the search would have started way earlier, maybe we could have caught up to the man who did this by now. You were there. You saw, and you could have helped. Yet you did *nothing*."

A fresh wave of tears barraged her, and Tanesha sobbed pitifully again.

Lawson stepped up to them and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, handing her a handkerchief. "All right, Tanesha, it's all right. You did well by telling us—"

"She should have told someone earlier—"

"You're right, Stark-"

"-instead I had to find out about it like this, when it doesn't make a difference because the trail's gone cold."

"-your anger is justified, and I can understand how you feel-"

"-my *anger*, as you put it—"

"-what happened is a terrible, terrible thing that none of us could have foreseen, and we're doing the best that we can to help-"

"-is not due to an unforeseen event that couldn't be helped! It wasn't *foreseen*, it was *seen* by someone who kept it to themselves. Thanks to her, uncovering the truth is that much harder. Ms. Potts' life is at stake here."

"So don't. Don't lecture me about doing the best; if this is your *best*, it doesn't come up to the bar. It's not good enough. Your employee wasn't threatened, she wasn't even seen otherwise she would have been. She could have told someone. Pe—My girlfriend was in trouble, and the only person who saw what was happening to her, chose to turn her back on it all. So actually, yeah: my anger _is_ justified."

Lawson looked at him helplessly. "I'm sorry. What can I say? Had I heard about this, I would have contacted the authorities immediately. If anyone of the security team had come to me with this footage before, I would have taken it to the police. I would have talked to Tanesha myself, and encouraged her to tell them what she'd seen."

Iron Man's voice burned starkly of bitterness. "Yeah, I'm sure you would have. But that's not what happened." He looked at Tanesha again, who wilted under his fiery gaze. "I hope you're going to 'encourage' your employee to take this deposition to the police now, Lawson. Either way you did me a favour. I'll see myself out."

* * *

><p>Loki watched her from the shadows of what she thought was her bedroom in Stark's house. She was asleep now, still ring-free. Under the circumstances, Loki couldn't be certain of their power should he put them on her again, and if she found them on her finger when she knew she'd taken them off, it could be disastrous.<p>

But without them he could no longer have a visual of what she was doing, nor where she was. Without them, Loki could no longer influence her dreams, and his magic tendrils of dark persuasion, along with the smoke he conjured to torment her with their voices, would also be greatly weakened without the ring's influence over her spirit.

The spells he had placed over this house would contain her physically within its walls, thankfully, but he still didn't feel secure anymore in the position of leaving to attend to business. Since he had no longer a way of controlling her and checking up on her remotely, he had to physically be in her presence to do all these things.

Hunger gnawed at his stomach, which he ignored with an effort. It was getting more difficult to just put it at the back of his mind, because he hadn't eaten anything for several hours, and neither had Pepper. They both needed sustenance. But there was hardly anything left in the house now; he would have to go into the village again and acquire supplies.

Pepper slept on, unaware of how close her captor and tormentor was now, blissfully soaking in the firstreal rest she was getting since this ordeal began. Loki seethed as he looked at her serene face. She had eventually succumbed back into sleep out of sheer exhaustion, whereas he felt out of control as sleep eluded him.

As silently as he had entered it, he left her room and the door locked behind him. He glided like smoke in the dark rooms, a grim reaper with glittering eyes of cold ice and an ever-present snarl on his haggard face. It was taking a toll on him. Had his powers not been blocked so thoroughly, had he not been forced to succumb to that weakened filthy state of mortality, Loki wouldn't need many of the things he now couldn't do without in order to survive, like food and sleep.

He tiredly let the glamour that changed his appearance engulf him, feeling its golden tingle spreading pleasantly over his body, and then stepped out of the house.

He ran his index finger across the invisible barrier that engulfed the house, and felt the ripples across the surface as it locked more tightly under his command. He didn't want his prisoner to try to escape in his absence, if she woke up.

Once he was several yards away from the house, he turned on the spot, and disappeared.

In the supermarket he lined up his purchases on the moving strip and waited impatiently for his turn. Three teenagers in front of him where looking at a magazine, whispering and giggling like brainless idiots, pointing at one image first, and then another. Time ticked by as slowly as the turning waters in the Well of Mimir. Loki gritted his teeth and stared resolutely in front of him, willing them all to just get the hell out of his way.

The cashier grabbed each item on the strip and beeped it at a pace as if she were physically incapacitated to do it any faster. A wealth of spells glittered dangerously in Loki's mind's eye, but were fought away. No magic out in the open, unless absolutely necessary, that was the top rule.

The little old lady who was collecting her things in her paper bag took the time to arrange them all in the way she preferred, uncaring or unaware of the people she was holding up. Loki fidgeted restlessly and his anger mounted. All it would take is one little fire lash, and they would all be incinerated, nothing but smoking ashes on the ground. He felt the air growing thick and hotter around him. That's when one of the teenage girls in front of him slowly turned back to look at him, her eyes furtively sweeping him up and down. Loki gritted his teeth; his palms itched and he stuffed his fists into his pockets, trying to maintain as impassive a face as he could. As if he hadn't just willed the air around and in front of him to become as hot as if a furnace had just been opened.

His eyes glittered malevolently at the insolent creature in front of him, who was still staring.

Having caught his message, she quickly turned back to her moronic companions and left him in peace. When it was his turn to pay for his food, Loki opened the wallet he'd 'acquired' from Trent Mason and silently handed the money to the apathetic cow chewing on her 'gum'. For a moment, Loki contemplated in his mind's eye what she'd look like if he were to truly transform her semblance into that of the herbivore. She looked at him with her flat eyes and her openly chewing mouth, and then handed him his change. Loki showed her his white teeth, collected his things and with a 'yes-I'm-simply-a-mortal-man-at-the-local-market-buying-liveries' look, he sped out of the accursed place.

The doors glided shut behind him but he hadn't fully quitted the space and therefore got bumped by them, rather painfully. Loki flailed, the tender meat caught in the middle of a brutal sandwich, trying to work himself free, stuck as he was between the metal frames. Just as he was about to make the metal fold in on itself with a mere thought and compromise himself in front of all these eyewitnesses, the doors clacked open again. He stumbled out of the entrance, lost his footing and almost spilled the contents of the paper bags on the ground. When he was standing up again he sent the doors and everyone inside a malevolent glare that bespoke of the things he would love to do to them all, then stalked away into the dark car park.

In the shadow of a trolley park, Loki placed his bags onto the ground and took out the wallet again. He silently counted the money that was still inside, carefully adding it all up in his head.

This was the last of the paper gold he had exchanged before coming here. Once this was gone, he would have no paper gold from the land of America. So the only way to procure more would be to use the thicker rectangles that mortals liked to call 'credit cards'. But he wouldn't do that just yet, not when there could be other ways of procuring currency without drawing too much attention to himself.

He placed the wallet back inside his pocket, picked up his shopping and, once he'd seen that the coast was clear, turned on the spot and disappeared.

When he appeared out of nothing back on the grounds of the house, sweat dotted his brow and face, and Loki all but collapsed on the ground, heaving breath into his lungs. Whatever limit he now had to live with, he'd just reached it. He needed sustenance, fast.

He couldn't get his legs under him, as his whole frame was trembling with exhaustion. He tried to get up only to sprawl again on the wet grassy ground. He choked on his own rage and bitterness, cursing the heavens above him for casting him down into this pit-less hell.

The thought that Heimdall the All-Seer might be watching him with his golden gaze right this instant made him want to curl up and burrow away from the pitiless eyes, and at the same time spring from the ground with the strength of an enraged lion and give voice to the roiling storm eating him from the inside out.

He breathed hard and closed his eyes, waiting for it to pass. It had in the past and it would do so again. He just had to get inside. He just had to reach a chair, sink down on it, put something in his stomach and that would be that. He mustered what little strength he had and used it to lower the shields he had placed on the house and enter. He cut it just right as he appeared back inside the kitchen right on top of a chair, sinking down onto it in a boneless heap. Once he had rested and felt capable of raising his head again, he waved his hands and the food unpacked itself from the bags neatly into storage. One of the paper bags unfurled and a chicken drumstick floated towards his fingers. He gently closed his fingers around the meat and brought it to his mouth, gnawing on it with tired hunger.

When he finished eating, his blood sugar levels replete, feeling more like himself again, he went back into the control room and tweaked the spells resting on the house and on Pepper Potts. The liquor cabinet lay in a shattered mess on the carpeted floor. With a grimace, he tapped the floor with his heel and watched as the splinters of wood and shards of glass flew back into cohesive lines and reassembled the cabinet as though it had never been broken. Unfortunately he couldn't do the same to the spilled liquors, so he took out one of the few that remained intact and started drinking.

As the liquor went smoothly down his gut, Loki reflected on the strangeness of this world. Magic was different here. It wasn't limited in comparison to Ásgarðr so much as it obeyed to different laws. He was a powerful practitioner, but the restrictive magic which set limits to what he had never thought he would lose worked as an addition to his problems here on Earth.

He wasn't born to labour – he had been a king.

If he couldn't do himself what was needed, he'd find someone on this planet who could. The sooner the better.

He went to an old desk and unlocked one of the drawers, pulled out a small wooden chest and set it on the top surface. He stared at it for one moment, contemplating what he was about to do, all the risks he was running with this. His face locked down into smooth resolution, ice-freeze in his eyes, and placed his hands on the chest. The intricate designs cut into the grain lit up brightly and then the chest unlocked. Slowly, he raised the lid and looked down at what it was holding inside.

Sparkles caught the dim light and danced across his cold face as if in greeting; the glitter of his bloodshot eyes was just as menacing.

* * *

><p><strong>End of chapter ten.<strong>

**How much do you hate Loki right now? Is any of the pity you may have felt for him at all during this chapter's final part, still alive in any way? I want him to be a character that people love to hate, but with an inner dimension to him that runs deeper; he is essentially someone who is so *lost*, both psychologically and emotionally, that all he can do is wreak people's lives as a justified compensation he is exacting for the wrong that has been done to him his entire existence. And I say existence, not life, because in that he is so self-destructive he doesn't fully live, rather he merely exists. That his existence is a miserable one which he constructs all on his own goes without saying. Let's see how long this lasts.**

**And when the misery leaves, what will take its place? Could there really be happiness for someone like him? He firmly believes it; ruling will bring him a peace and satisfaction he believes will soothe his soul and satiate the hunger within. But Pepper has a role to play in this; neither she nor Loki can possibly imagine right now just how important that is going to be for him.**

**:D Teasing? Lol, sorry about that. More to come soon, I promise. And if you all leave a review, even a tiny one, it won't be so long either.**


	12. Blood-bound

**AN: This chapter has been a very long time coming. Over a year, I have spent writing this one chapter because it didn't come easy like the others, but now through perseverance and sudden bouts of inspiration, here it is at last. I'm sorry that this has taken so long. If there are still any readers out there who have been following this story since 2012, I apologise, and hope that they will carry on reading, leaving comments and expressing their views, because if anything has kept me going when I couldn't move forward, it's been the reviews and the story favourites and such. So thank you dear readers. Thanks for the support and read on.**

**To The Thinking Woman, my beta: I hope you're out there somewhere, reading this and smiling. If you are, drop me a line.**

**One last thing. WARNING: PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS CHAPTER DESCRIBES GRAPHIC EVENTS OF A VIOLENT/SEXUAL NATURE. There is a scene which can only be described as graphic torture. **

**READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED.**

* * *

><p>TARNISHED<p>

***Chapter Eleven: Blood-bound***

_(At this hour) Lie at my mercy all mine enemies - Shakespeare_

Loki stared down at the cold crystal surfaces, marvelling at their frozen beauty and admiring for a moment the simple, deceitfully innocent way they caught the light and refracted it.

For a moment he closed his eyes, breathing heavily. Across his mind flashed the image of Pepper's latest dream, the one she had made for herself, where her soul travelled through the dreamplanes of the earth to find the soul of her mate, who was thousands of miles away.

For some reason his memory decided to replay the expressions on her face over and over as she looked at her lover in the dream; he could see as though he had been in front of her the staggering amount of desolation, the desperate longing and the quiet tenderness he had witnessed in the months he'd worked undercover at their company. Furtively in the shadows Loki had watched disguised as another human man … and coveted.

Stark's good fortune…he didn't deserve it. Out of all the man's riches, Loki had taken his most precious one. Pepper was his now. But her defiance and her power had been unexpected. Loki had underestimated her, but after tonight, he wasn't sure of what it would take for her to do so again; if she even managed it .

He opened his bloodshot eyes again and stared with cold purpose at the crystals as they, too, glittered malevolently. He lowered his hand and placed the glass tumbler on the desk, his movements careful and measured, his face impassive. His decision was made. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly as he lingered on the minutiae of his plan. If only Odin could see him now: stripped of his old glory and power, and still very much a menace. A force to be reckoned with. A king yet standing, undefeated and ready to carve his own way.

King Loki would carve his path with blood and the sacrifices of lesser beings; no different to the mortal kings of old. No different to Laufey … or even Odin himself. Warmongers, both of them, for all of Odin's talk of peace and prosperity via stability and wisdom.

He curled his long fingers around the crystals and cradled them in his palms. As he turned them and the facets caught the light, they bounced off his white skin, shining liquidly like the ripples of Lake Nostos, their place of origin. Holding one each in his hands, he remained still and simply felt their surprisingly heavy weight. Then he swung both arms in an arc high over his head and brought his palms smacking together. The crystals impacted and crashed together with a high sound of tinkling broken glass. Their solid state immediately changed with the force of the impact, shattering into a million fragments as fine as sand swirling in the air. For a moment, the dust remained still in mid-air, as if frozen in time as long as time flowed, a bright coloured cloud of glitter that resembled clusters of galaxies. Then they split into numerous small clusters of powder and slithered their way across ground and wall, revolving through the air, heading towards the windows, the door, melting through the floorboards out of sight.

"_Ta med mig en häxa._" _Bring me a witch_.

Deep in the darkness of the frosty forest, unnatural lights flashed through the windows of an old manor house.

* * *

><p>The woman lying on a bed on her back looked up at her partner, moaning with abandon in sexual ecstasy. Their pelvises rubbed frantically in a well-timed, controlled rhythm of hedonistic need.<p>

She pounded harder and the woman screamed, hair strewn on the pillow, eyes wild, face contorted into helpless bliss. She licked her fingertips and brought her hand to where their bodies joined, rubbing with sensual expertise. Soon their rhythm faltered and the woman bucked, hips jerking spasmodically. The pleasure was intense and created white noise across the conscious level of her mind. She grinned, head thrown back, eyes closed, vocalising her pleasure in raw sounds as primal as her ancestors.

She collapsed next to her partner, heaving and blissfully satiated. After a while she turned her head and stared at the other, who was in equal parts trying to even out her breathing and sobbing from the powerful sensations her body was wracked with.

Brita grinned in satisfaction and bumped her flank closer to her, throwing a leg on top of hers. One hand curled over her breast, testing the texture difference between the skin and the puckered nipple. She mewled and rubbed her leg on her flank, too sensitive to bear the touch. Brita smiled lasciviously and inserted her middle finger into her mouth, slowly drawing it out, leaving it glistening with her saliva, and carefully traced it over her full lips, puffy and bruised with passionate kisses. Her breathing immediately evened out and she was unconscious almost immediately. The room went quiet.

Brita closed her eyes and let out a decidedly satisfied sigh. Having sex, especially the kind she'd just indulged in for the past three hours, always gave her a powerful buzz unlike almost anything else; her powers practically glowed afterwards, and she felt twice as strong, riding a torrent of endorphins. Performing magic even of the most basic nature straight after a sex marathon always left her achingly satisfied and full of herself, her beauty and strength.

Soon after she fell asleep, pleasant sparks and tingles dancing on her fingertips as she dreamed.

Outside, unsettling shadows of pure black travelled through the air like the wind, until they came to rest outside the window of the darkened bedroom. After a pause, they spread out over the entire surface of the house, like clinging vines of ivy, sprawling over the walls, stretching towards the front door, covering the roof. Then, with the barest breath of air, they slid through the cracks of the windows and the front door, creeping inside with stealth, undetected. And as they travelled inside the house, as insubstantial and incorporeal as smoke, the two women slept on in the bedroom up the stairs, oblivious.

Brita jerked upright, gasping for air through bronchi that seemed tight as needle eyes. She was covered in a cold sweat and her skin felt as though it had been abraded with sandpaper. When she could breathe somewhat normally, her rationality returned. And with it, her senses re-awakened.

The hairs on her body stood up on end, electrified. Her sixth sense sharpened and she cast it into the darkness of her surroundings, seeking the danger. There was something wrong in here, she could feel it. She turned to her left and saw the girl she'd picked up at the bar sprawled on her back, naked and fast asleep, the sheet tucked loosely around her legs.

Brita quickly got out of bed and hastily scrambled to put some clothes on her back. On the nightstand, gleaming innocently, sat her _ouroboros_ pendant. She wrapped the long chain about her neck over and over until it sat tight. Without a backward glance, Brita exited her bedroom and went out into the landing.

Immediately, she saw what had caused her to wake up. There was a strange faint light coming from downstairs. On silent feet, she descended the stairs step by quiet step. Her feet were bare, and made little to no sound. The light's source was in the living room just to the right side of the staircase; its eerie rays flickered strangely through the wooden banister and onto the wall, casting shadows that seemed to be alive with movement. Brita tensed. Waiting for movement of any kind, she considered the situation. She was inebriated and rather occupied with other things when she and the girl had come in through the door, locked in an embrace and fumbling with buttons, zips and straps. She hadn't taken the time to lock the door and windows as she usually did, but a perfunctory protection spell hastily muttered before her lips began wandering over satiny skin should have taken care of it. Brita had never slipped like this; even of this day and age, _häxor _had to be very, very careful of how they conducted their lifestyle in the eyes of the public. Though witchcraft was deeply rooted in religious tradition in Sweden, her matriarchs had still been burnt at the stake or decapitated centuries past just for being what they were. Today truly wasn't so very different. And because of her history, Brita had always been careful.

Which meant that whatever was happening, whoever had done this had swept her protective spells aside and found a way inside her home.

Hearing no sounds, Brita carefully tried to peer into the living room below as much as she could without leaving her protective crouch on the stairs, craning her neck as much as possible. Her sixth sense stretched gently towards her unseen surroundings. There was no one inside the house except for herself and her guest. But the living room cried out with the unmistakeable heavy press in the air that came when strong magick was performed. Brita cautiously descended the steps once more and stopped when she was at the landing, her front door to her back. The closer she walked, the more suppressive the air became.

She doubled back towards the front door, keeping her wary senses on the living room. She pressed her palm on the walls and they immediately lit up with scores of runes, the Norse alphabet most prominent among them. When she removed her palm from the dry surface, the runes flared out of sight, completely invisible and the wall looked normal once more.

Her heart beat erratically now. Her spells had not been cast aside, because they were still intact.

Someone had found a way in without disturbing anything – not an impossible feat clearly, but one that very few could have managed. Certainly no one less practiced than Brita, and she was a powerful practitioner.

She walked back and into the living room.

There, a foreign sight greeted her stunned eyes.

Writhing round and round each other closely, glowing wraith-like things floated in mid-air. They circled constantly around a small sphere of bright blue light, no bigger than a marble, but so strong that it lit up the entire room without hardship. And the wraiths whirled close together in the air around it, over and over.

Suddenly Brita gasped and looked down towards her feet. Lifting her sole, she realised that rivulets of black-red blood were oozing from small cuts all over the surface of her foot. The floor was littered with a strange glittering dust as sharp as razors, and where her blood touched it, it glowed even more brightly. She could only stare, mute and terrified, at the pulsating blue marble of light suspended in mid-air and its whirling shadowy wraiths. Not a single thing, magical or otherwise came to her mind, so that she might protect herself. This screamed danger, danger, danger. But she was paralysed. And fascinated, too. Hungry.

When the wraiths stopped moving, Brita was ready for them. She stood stock-still as they advanced closer and closer to her. Her eyes glittered eerily. A small smirk crossed her transfixed features just before the wraiths enveloped her form completely.

This was what she had been waiting for her entire life. Limitless power all hers for the taking.

* * *

><p>Loki was pleased.<p>

His summoning spell had worked, bringing him a witch in remarkably little time. She would learn to accept her position, whether she wished it or not.

And by the looks of it, she did wish it.

Brita Malstrom was relatively young in terms of Midgardian age, a good practitioner of magic, and very much the useful tool Loki needed in order to subdue Pepper once and for all.

She was power-hungry; he could see it in her eyes when she looked at him, in the shrewd manner she carried herself and bent to his wishes. She understood that he was a very, very powerful man, and that there was much for her to be gained merely by being in his presence.

Whatever he asked her to do, she complied with. And this pleased him greatly. It reminded him of the brief time he spent on the throne of Odin whilst he Slept and his brother was banished to a distant land. That had been the best time of Loki's life.

She was nothing but a lowly mortal bug he could squash under his feet whenever he felt like it, but she'd do for now.

He approached her at her work bench, studying the meticulous way she crafted spells and enchantments. "How long until it is complete?"

Brita looked up from the ancient manuscripts and brewing paraphernalia strewn on the bench. Her face was haggard and the skin almost sunken with fatigue – but her eyes were a sharp contrast to it, for they glowed with an inner fire that belied her eagerness for the task she was carrying out.

"I need ingredients that will not be easy to acquire, and once I have them it will be a few days before it is ready."

Loki's gaze was cold. "You'll get whatever you need in the shortest amount of time possible. You've connections, have you not, in the realm of your practice? Use them to get me what I need."

Brita nodded, her hands trembling slightly, and she bent back towards her brew, adding a dark liquid to it carefully drip by drip. The constant use of magic of this kind was taking its toll on her. She looked crinkled and as though she'd aged fifteen years in the space of a few days, consumed as she was by the power that Loki fed her in order to amplify her abilities. Once her purpose was served, he would make sure to dispose of her properly.

"You have three days Brita. Don't disappoint me."

Loki swept out of the room leaving the witch to her work, and headed upstairs to the west bedroom. The corridor was quiet and his own footfalls barely echoed in the empty space. A sigil glowed brightly on the wooden door as he approached, then winked out of sight at his touch. He pushed the door open and walked inside.

When he saw her, his heart rate kicked up a few notches as excitement bloomed in his chest. Loki smiled.

* * *

><p>Pepper sat on the bed inside the cold room, silent and withdrawn. One day she was in what she believed to be her own home, and the next she wakes up and she's somewhere else entirely, somewhere unfamiliar. The state of disrepair and general lack of care of the room she was in hinted at a dark story. For the first time in what she was now realising with a sinking feeling was probably weeks, she was lucid.<p>

For the first time in a long time, she knew what was happening.

For the first time Pepper understood that she was in danger.

As she heard footsteps outside the door breaking the oppressive silence that had permeated the environment since she woke up, she tensed and her posture turned rigid in preparation of what she might face.

A tall man with pale skin and shimmering green eyes entered the room as though he owned it and everything inside, including her. The breath froze in her lungs.

He looked at her and smiled – a bloom of malicious intent on his handsome face, glittering eyes storming with hidden plans, the look of a hungry shark.

And hungry he was, as he looked at her. What he was hungry for, Pepper didn't know, but she knew it would bide ill for her. She quaked under his gaze as her body locked down and screamed at her to get away from the danger. But the second she looked into his eyes, she knew.

Whoever he was, whatever he wanted and intended to do, she was going nowhere.

"Hello Pepper."

Instinct, or a benevolent force of some kind whispered in her ear to keep quiet and to let him speak. She tightened her lips and looked at him silently, willing him to tell her what seemed inevitable.

His teeth gleamed brightly despite the cold grey light of day filtering from the filthy glass pane of the window behind the bed. "I see you are awake. You must be wondering about all this," he swept his hand indicating the mouldy stained walls of the room, "and why you're here, who I am. All in due time. Are you hungry?"

Since the second she regained her wits and realised that there was something immensely wrong in the situation she was in, wherever she was, Pepper had hardened herself in preparation for the worst. She suspected that this was her captor. It was clear to her that she was being held here against her will – wherever _here_ was.

She wouldn't yield so much as an inch to this man. If anything was going to happen whilst she was here, it would all be against her will.

Pepper remained silent. Loki smirked and drew closer, enjoying the frisson of fear she could not fully subdue, shrinking back away from him. Loki walked until he reached her side and sat next to her on the bed. His hand reached out towards her face, brushing her hair away from her cheek. Pepper's stomach dropped at his vicinity. His gaze was intense and held shadows she did not want to see, couldn't stand their existence and that they were meant for her.

"I can see you're going to be stubborn about this. Your will is made of iron though, so it doesn't surprise me. I've admired this trait of you for a while now, you know. You are a very rare woman, Virginia Potts."

Bile rose in her throat at the déjà-vu, and for a moment she was back in that office, fear scouring her flesh as Obadiah Stane poured himself a drink less than fifteen feet away from her as she acquired the files that he'd hidden and which would put him in jail for a long time. –_You, are a very rare woman. Tony doesn't know how lucky he is._-

_Tony_.

Something must have shifted on her face; whatever her expression was, he saw it and his own face shuttered down, a resolute glint in his eyes. "Since you will not ask that which you are dying to know, I will tell you. But where to begin…there is so much…so much to tell of this strange story that has seen us bound together in unfathomable ways."

* * *

><p>Brita summoned Loki. Her eyes were bloodshot, her whole appearance screamed of fatigue and sickness – as though her flesh was corrupting from the inside out. But she'd done it, it was ready.<p>

The Marking. It was by far her best piece of work. Weaving magic of this nature would have been impossible for her to do at any time before Loki walked into her life. She had much to be grateful for. Waiting in silent contemplation for her master to arrive, Brita scratched at her wrist. As if coming out of a daze, she surveyed the basement which had been her workroom, séance, and living space.

It was dark, and it reeked of burnt static and spells so powerful, (so malignant) they felt abrasive to the skin. She probably hadn't eaten in a while. She had been sleeping very little, if at all. But this was good. This was her goal.

The power he'd bestowed on her was _hers_. She would keep it.

The door that lead upstairs to the rest of the house creaked open, and footsteps began descending the stairs. Her face became hungry once more. She hoped he'd be pleased with her work.

* * *

><p>The next time someone entered Pepper's room of confinement, she was ready. When the door opened, she was already on her feet and stood proud and defiant, back against the wall, eyes hooded and mouth clamped shut.<p>

Brita paused on the threshold, leaving the door deceptively open as though ready to let its prisoner go, but neither were fools. They knew Pepper wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

Brita looked at the tall slender woman, and noticed her defiant body language – even if the slight trembling of her frame could not be hidden. She curled her lip over her teeth. Brita could tell that this woman would not bow easily to Loki, nor to herself. She liked it; it was a sign that things were going to be more interesting than she'd thought.

"_Kommer hit."_

The woman spoke to her, but Pepper had no idea what she said. She studied the other woman, who was taller than herself and probably heavier, although there was a malnourished, unkempt air about her, as though she was ill or not sleeping properly. Her face was haggard though Pepper guessed her to be in her early thirties, and there were purplish bags under her eyes. The thing that unsettled Pepper about this woman's appearance was the strange colour of her eyes. She had two different coloured irises, one brown, one green, and both were bloodshot.

The woman stepped imperceptibly closer and something, an inner instinct, filled Pepper with dread. She spoke again, repeating what she'd said before. Pepper's confusion must have shown on her face, because the other woman repeated herself and this time pointed a finger to an area of the floor in front of her. Instinctively, Pepper pushed her back against the wall, her muscles rigid and locked in denial.

Brita realised she was going to have to _do_ something to make the prisoner do her bidding.

When she stretched her mouth in a grin for a split second Pepper could have sworn that a very long serpentine tongue flickered out between her large-ish teeth, and she recoiled in horror, a gasp leaving her throat. Brita cackled loudly and the very furniture inside the room seemed to vibrate with it. The bed started shaking slightly and so did the small table in the corner, their rattling against the wooden floor loud in the stillness of the room.

Brita inclined her head, her gaze fixed on Pepper, whose insides had twisted in dread at the sudden display of power, and when she spoke it was briefly again, two words.

"_Serva est." _She flicked her wrists slightly. Pepper felt her body lock itself down and suddenly move forward towards the woman, even though none of her limbs were moving, like a magnet being pulled forwards. Her eyes widened and she screamed. Brita's eyes flickered wide when Pepper made a sudden convulsive turn and fell down onto the floor, trying to hang on with the tips of her fingers, fighting against the force that was inexorably pulling her towards the door.

Her surprise lasted all of two seconds. Even though she'd managed to move, Pepper had not broken free of the spell and was still moving towards Brita, her fingers still scrabbling for purchase on the wooden floor. Brita cackled again – and then wrapped her cold hand around Pepper's slim ankle and tugged her out of the room.

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><p>Loki seemed disappointed, or at least he tried to look that way. Something told Pepper that he was enjoying this all very much, and of course it made sense. the harder you fought, the more it excited them. She willed herself to be strong and not cry, but she was so, so afraid. Loki paced leisurely about the room, an impish smile on his face now that she was here, and he openly looked her over. Pepper fought the urge to squirm under his gaze.<p>

"You looking at me like that makes me feel so wicked." A pause, and then, "I like it."

"Brita, my dear assistant here, is going to help me do a spot of trouble Pepper. I have such _delights_ in store for you. " Loki grinned, "There's so much to do. We'd better get started." He pointed to a door on the right, his manner that of a gracious host. "Shall we?" Pepper whipped her head to look at Brita, who was biting her lip in anticipation, chuckling childishly. Loki extended a hand towards Pepper and took her wrist, leading her with him.

"Where are you taking me?" Loki appeared delighted that she'd spoken when he turned to look at her. "I'm very glad you asked that Pepper, but I won't spoil the fun. It's a surprise." They made their way down a darkened stairway into what Pepper guessed to be a basement. It was poorly lit and it stank of mould, decades' worth of dust, of earth, and something else. Pepper felt dread rise when she saw a workbench where most of the light was, littered with scientific equipment and- _Was that a cauldron?_

Brita stood over what seemed to be her workstation, stirring liquids and handling powders of all kinds. There were strangely shaped objects inside glass jars, and a pestle and mortar containing some black powder. Everything reeked of dead matter and Pepper drew back. Loki grabbed her by the arms and forced her to remain close to him. "Let me go. What are we doing? What are you gonna do to me?"

"You've been a very _bad_ girl Pepper. I have…shall we say abilities? – That I've been using in order to keep you as my guest. You don't believe me? Watch closely."

He opened his palm as though mimicking a flower's blooming and Pepper watched in shock as one of the jars on the table sailed through the air unaided to land on it. Loki closed his fist around what seemed to be a dead lizard – Pepper trembled in revulsion – and when he opened it the reptile looked whole again. Pepper yelled and recoiled against his chest as the lizard moved and turned its beady eyes on her as though it hadn't been a mere carcass not two seconds ago.

Loki tightened his left arm around her, smirking with superiority and unrestrained glee at her display of fear. He turned his head and rested his jaw against her temple. He inhaled the scent of her hair and his fingers gentled on her arm, stroking softly in tiny circles. His voice was low and measured. "This is my room of red delights, Pepper. And they're all for you."

Pepper wanted to curl in on herself as his breath skittered over her ear, but had nowhere to go. He was holding her very close to him, and standing directly behind her as he was, any kind of movement would have brought them closer. She didn't know if she could stand it. Her revulsion and her fear were so strong it was a wonder she was still standing.

"Let us begin Brita. Bring the needle and the ink. And I'm going to need the room to be brighter; wouldn't want to get it wrong."

The needle as it turned out, was several inches long and thick, not at all sewing-like. This was a monster of a thing. Pepper suddenly tried to make a dash for the stairs behind her but then she was immobilised in mid-air and moved across the room again just like it had happened upstairs when Brita came to her room.

Broken cries echoed around the room as she was lowered to the ground. Loki levitated a cushioned bench and halted it right underneath her. She was still in mid-air, frozen and unable to move. He moved to stand over her.

Brita increased the strength of the light directly over them until it was beam-bright.

He touched Pepper's cheek and her jaw, cold fingers resting on her throat, where her pulse hammered with terror and anticipated pain. She slowly lowered through the air until she was lying on the bench. Loki then held her fists captive and touched her wrist. A golden rope of cold metal appeared and wrapped itself around it like a coiling snake, holding her fast to the bench; the same happened with her ankles. Pepper immediately struggled and squirmed, trying to move and escape her bonds, but it was no use, they held fast. Loki smiled at her gently and shook his head.

He looked at her for a moment, and Pepper stared back helplessly as her heart strummed a crazy beat inside her chest. She wished she could pass out so she wouldn't have to deal with the situation, but her consciousness didn't comply.

His thumb moved gently across her lips and Pepper tried to turn her head away. Loki frowned and a moment later a coil slithered around her throat and she could no longer turn her head an inch. Fear made her cry out and she instinctively tried to bring her hands up to her throat to remove the restraint, but not a single part of her body could budge from its position.

"Let me go!"

"Stop it Pepper."

"Let me _go!"_

"I can't do that Pepper."

"_Stop! Please, stop!"_

"Do not make me gag you Pepper."

Brita spoke but it was a language Pepper didn't understand. Loki tilted his chin behind him where she was and nodded briefly. Next Pepper saw Brita come to stand up next to him, the instruments on a table directly by her side.

"Don't! Don't! Don't do this!"

Loki placed his hand on her head, thumb stroking her forehead soothingly. "You've left me no choice Pepper. You've tried to break free so many times that this is the only way to bind you. I hadn't planned on doing this, but you've brought this on yourself. Now you must hold still and stop fighting, like a good girl. This … will only hurt a bit, I promise."

"No! NOO!"

"You're being shockingly recalcitrant. Brita." At his unspoken command, Brita handed him the bowl with the paste she'd made and then a small dagger. Loki took them from her. He slashed a finger with the blade and let a few drops of blood fall into the bowl, mixing it with the paste.

Brita started chanting in Latin. _"Tenes ea in catenae vincula ab deus qui decernet suus fatalis."_

Pepper suddenly arched her back and screamed in pain. Loki took the needle and attached a small phial to one of the ends, which was loaded with some of the reddish paste. His blood sealed the magic and Brita's incantation would bind Pepper to him. With this ritual, she would belong to him. His every whim would be hers to obey. She would never escape it.

He blew on the needle's point which became bright hot as though it had been placed on an open flame. He whisked his top layer of clothing away and remained naked to the hilt. Brita took the blade and slashed his chest shallowly, collecting the blood in a small phial.

Pepper felt time slow and almost grind to a halt. She was internally screaming and screaming, wishing for this to be nothing but a dream, for someone to help her, to escape this fate—

-And that's when Loki pierced her flesh with the hot needle.

Pepper's eyes bugged out and she screamed so loud a vein in her eye burst.

Brita chanted again, and splashed red blood on her body where the needle pierced.

And Loki tattooed her flesh with an artisan's poetry, carving himself, his Mark, onto her flesh, searing it with fire and putting the magical ink inside her bloodstream.

And Pepper drowned in a world of pain. She screamed and screamed out loud, eyes unseeing, thrashing as much as the restraints allowed her. Then she started foaming at the mouth.

Brita watched it all with eyes feverish and awash with awe.

And Loki painted her still, even when Pepper suddenly went slack – her restraints disappearing as suddenly as they had come – and her head lolled to the side. When her hand dropped to the side of the padded bench she was prostrate on, rivulets of red ran down to her fingertips, where they dripped onto the floor.

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><p><strong>Are you still reading? Do you want to shout at me yet? ;)<strong>

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